The Gravitation Animation
by Sheps888
Summary: What if Sheldon and Amy had to meet the old-fashioned way-through fate? In a world where Amy is the biology department head for Caltech, working alongside her new boyfriend, the most brilliant physicist at the university, Barry Kripke, her life is perfect. That is, until she meets Sheldon Cooper who causes her to question every decision she's ever made.
1. New Beginnings

**I decided to write this story because there is so much of the Shamy development that we did not get to see on the show. We didn't get to see the aftermath of their first date, their first kiss, or even their first somewhat sexual experience. But the biggest thing that bothers me is that we didn't get to see Amy fall in love with Sheldon. At the beginning of season four, she was very much like him in the sense that she was downright clinical when it came to affection, but by the end of the season, she had somehow changed and developed very serious feelings for Sheldon. This story will bring to light the process of Sheldon and Amy falling in love. Because, after all, "sometimes falling is the best part." Thank you to all my previous readers. I hope that you will enjoy this new story, and as always: read, review, enjoy!**

* * *

**_Gravitation: Movement toward a center of an attractive force, as in the falling of bodies to the earth._**

**_Animation: The state of being alive_**

Autumn in California never felt so invigorating to Amy Farrah Fowler, but this year was different. Everything in her life was working according to plan. She'd just accepted the position of the biology department head at Caltech. She'd just entered into her first serious relationship with a man that she had grown to admire over the years. And above all, she'd just discovered happiness for the first time in years.

"Do you wike it?" Barry asked. He wanted to surprise her, even if it was a simple gesture.

They met at a flea market. She was browsing for kitchen supplies. He was browsing for women. They say that opposites attract, and in this case, they couldn't be more right.

"Don't you think it's a little big?" Amy replied.

"Big? Are you kidding me? You're Amy Fawah Fowler! If anyone can handle big, it's you." He gently rubbed the small of her back.

Physical affection had been a trying element in their relationship. Amy had space issues which Barry found difficult to respect at first. But over time, and through countless stints of trial and error, they found a happy balance.

"I don't know."

"You're just afwaid of change. Come on. Touch it."

"Why do I have to touch it?"

"Twust me. It's made of the hawdest stuff around."

Her fingers ran along the side. "You're right. It's hard."

"See, I told you. You just need to get used to seeing it evewy day." He pulled her close and kissed her cheek.

"I still don't know. I'm not even sure if it will fit."

"It'll fit. We'll make it fit."

Amy smiled at his determinedness. There was something about his carefree attitude that made it hard for her to feel apprehensive.

"I want you to feel comfowtable, and I'm wiwwing to do whatever it takes to make the twansition pweasant for you."

"I know."

"Good. Now, wet's get into your office and do this."

Barry bent low to fit his hands under the desk. He was a man, after all, and it was the man's job to move heavy things. But his back spasm didn't agree. "I think we better get some help. This thing is made of solid Hickowy."

Barry scanned the hallway only to see a tall thin man mumbling equations to himself. "Coopew!" he shouted.

The thin man looked down on his counterpart and answered with a twitch in his eye, "Kripke."

"Wanna help us move this desk? It's reawwy heavy and we could use some additional man power. Even if they're your skinny arms."

"I am Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper. I don't do manual labor."

"C'mon. I pwomise not to waugh when you wift wike a girl."

Sheldon squinted at his adversary and stormed down the hallway after acknowledging his lack of a witty comeback. Talking to Kripke had always been a useless transaction. Besides, Dr. Sheldon Cooper needed his mental faculties to be focused. He was on the verge a revolutionary breakthrough. He was sure of it.

"Wow, what's his problem?" Amy asked as she watched Sheldon shuffle down the hall.

"He's just a bitter wooser."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked as she bent low to help Barry with the desk.

"Seibert chose my gwant pwoposal over his. My wesearch got all of the funding."

"That's the Sheldon Cooper you've been talking about? Ouch."

"Yeah, he hasn't taken it well."

"Well, it probably doesn't help that you kick him while he's down."

Barry set the desk down and looked at his girlfriend closely. "Are you sticking up for him?"

Amy shrugged, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Sheldon Coopew is the most awwogant, self-centered ass you'll ever meet. And that's saying a wot coming from me. He deserves exactly what he got—second pwace."

Amy watched Barry get worked up. "I'm sorry. I know how hard you worked on that proposal. I just feel bad for people like him. So out of place and alone, ya know?"

Barry picked the desk up with a groan. "He's not awone. He's got all his wooser friends to keep him company."

* * *

"Did you guys here that Kripke got a girlfriend?" Leonard asked as he stuffed another spoonful of Thai food into his mouth.

"Kripke? As in _Barry_ Kripke?" Howard asked in disbelief.

"Apparently so. I heard she just started working at the university. The head of biology, I think."

"That's Kripke's girlfriend?" Sheldon chimed from the kitchen. His skin began to crawl at the very thought of Kripke. "But she wasn't dressed as a prostitute, didn't have tattoos, and all of her visible body parts were neither pierced nor infected with a sexually transmitted disease." And now his skin began to crawl at the thought of his girlfriend. "Of course, she's probably just as terrible as he is so I guess her attire wouldn't make any difference."

"You saw her?" Leonard asked.

"Yes. Today. They were attempting to move a desk into what appears to be her new office. They asked for my help. I denied them, of course."

"Of course," Leonard mumbled. "Well?"

Sheldon looked at him in a curious fashion. "Well, what?"

"What did she look like?" Howard shouted in anticipation.

"Well," Sheldon started, "She was female."

Raj rolled his eyes. "Dude, don't you think that we already know that she's female?"

"Not necessarily. This wouldn't be the first girlfriend of Kripke's that turned out to be male after some analysis."

"Gross," Howard winced. "Just tell us what she looked like. Was she hot?"

"Possibly. She was wearing several layers and the ventilation system in the biology wing is terrible in the summer months. I was feeling rather warm myself."

"I give up. Your turn, Leonard." Howard sat in his seat and crossed his arms in frustration.

"I don't think Sheldon is the right person to ask. Why don't we sneak by Kripke's office tomorrow? Maybe we'll catch a glimpse of her."

"I'm in," Howard said in a flash.

"Me too," Raj echoed.

"Why don't we head down just before lunch? He's usually at his desk around then."

"Wait a minute," Sheldon interrupted in a very whiney voice. "You always meet at my office just before lunch. You can't change the routine now. What am I supposed to do for 11.6 minutes before I have my scheduled meal? Twiddle my thumbs?"

"Just work on your newest equation. It's been bugging you for weeks. A little extra work isn't gonna hurt," Leonard replied.

"Fine," Sheldon huffed. "But you have to deliver a message to Kripke. He insulted me earlier today, and I just thought of a doozey of a comeback."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Tell Kripke that _HE_ lifts that desk like a girl."

"Clever."

"I thought so."

Leonard looked at Howard and Raj. "So, tomorrow around 11:45?"

"Yep," Howard replied.

Raj looked somewhat reluctant to interrupt his lunch routine, especially on tater-tot Tuesday, and deal with Kripke on top of it. "She better be hot."


	2. Amphibian

**Odd: different from what is usual or expected**

"Are you sure this is her office?" Leonard asked as Howard skulked towards the door.

"Absolutely. I know every woman on this campus and I've never met or heard of this mysterious Amy Farrah Fowler."

"The name sounds hot. Like Amy Adams, Farrah Fawcett, and Francesca Fowler. Can't go wrong with that."

"Yeah," Howard nodded his head, "She's definitely hot. I can smell her perfume through the crack in the door."

"That's the hand sanitizer hanging on the wall, genius," Leonard chimed in and pointed to the white dispenser just beside Howard's head.

"Oh." Howard hung his head in embarrassment.

"All we have is a name, and that's not much to go on. Let's go to Kripke's office like we originally planned and see what we can find."

"Fine," Howard huffed, "But I still say she's wearing sexy perfume."

* * *

"Hey, Kripke," Leonard said as he popped his head through Kripke's office door.

Barry seemed less than enthused to see his fellow physicists and Howard dropping by his office unannounced. "Fewwas?"

"We just wanted to stop by," Leonard scanned the room for Amy Farrah Fowler, "And say hi." But she was as allusive as the unicorn.

"You all stopped by to say—hi?" Barry echoed. "That's gweat, I guess. Now I've got work to do."

Howard and Raj nudged Leonard. "Hey, we heard this silly rumor that you were dating someone here at the university, and we wouldn't want to spread anything that wasn't true. So are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Dating someone at the university?"

"Who wants to know?"

"Oh, no one," Leonard began to stutter as his friends nudged him harder to ask more about her. "It's just a general curiosity, ya know. No one in particular. Her name wouldn't happen to be Amy Farrah Fowler, would it?"

"If you must know, yes." Barry plopped his feet on his desk and began to review some notes he had jotted down earlier that day.

"I knew it!" Howard shouted and gave Raj a high five. "Is she hot?"

Barry eyed Howard from the corner of his reading glasses before leaning forward in his chair. "Is she hot?" Barry asked.

Howard nodded with wide eyes. They say curiosity killed the cat.

"You wanna know all the gwaphic details?" Barry continued.

Howard nodded.

"You wanna know about her body?"

Howard nodded.

"You wanna know about how hot our sex is?"

Both Howard and Raj nodded like bobble-heads on a car dashboard.

Barry leaned over the desk and grabbed Howard by his favorite black dickie. "Too bad." He grabbed the fabric tighter, causing Howard's air supply to diminish. "Now get out."

"Let's go guys," Leonard said and ushered his friends out the door. Howard held his neck and reveled in the feeling of air traveling freely in and out of his lungs.

Today, curiosity almost killed the engineer.

* * *

"I don't know. I searched the whole campus and found nothing. It's like the whole university is trying to keep her a secret," Howard said while the others ate around the table in Leonard's apartment.

"Who?" Penny asked.

"This new department head at the university. Supposedly she's Kripke's girlfriend."

"Gross. That creep got a girlfriend? I never thought there would be a woman desperate enough to date him."

"He actually seems pretty protective of her. Sounds like they might be serious," Leonard added.

"Yes," Sheldon chimed. "As serious as two blubbering sociopaths can be."

"Just because you don't like Kripke doesn't mean you need to degrade Amy Farrah Fowler. She's probably really nice." Leonard always hated to see someone's name slandered if said person didn't deserve it.

"Wait!" Penny interrupted. "Did you say Amy Farrah Fowler?"

"Yeah. You know her? Leonard asked.

"Yeah, actually. I met her through Bernadette about a year ago. She tags along for girls night sometimes."

"You never mentioned that."

"Well, we were never really that close so I didn't bother to bring it up."

"Well, there you go, Leonard. I was right," Sheldon said. "If she hangs out with the likes of Penny, she's bound to be no good." He looked at penny before speaking again, "No offense."

"Sheldon, you are judging this woman without knowing a thing about her. That's wrong," Leonard said and continued to eat.

It'd been quite some time since someone told Sheldon that he'd done something wrong. And it didn't sit well with him. He immediately stood from his spot on the couch to retrieve a beverage.

"Well, that sure shut him up," Penny said and winked at her boyfriend.

"It always does."

"To be totally honest, I never brought up Amy because she's a little odd," Penny whispered in Leonard's ear."

"Odd how?"

"I don't know how to explain it. She's just different from most people I meet."

"Like dangerous?"

"No, nothing like that. She's just, sort of, awkward and methodical. She really makes me feel uncomfortable sometimes."

"Oh," Leonard started to look concerned.

"It's nothing I can't handle. She's just a bit bizarre, always spouting off random facts and clinical definitions. Bernadette doesn't mind so much, but I guess that's just because she's known her longer." Penny watched Sheldon carry his water bottle back to his spot before inspecting his food, counting his napkins, and adjusting the proximity of the condiments from his plate. "Actually, she continued. Now that I think about it, Amy is just like—Sheldon."

* * *

"You wanna go to dinner?" Barry asked as he walked Amy to her car.

"I would rather not. Can we just go back to my place and watch a movie or something?" Amy sighed. It'd been a long day full of new demands, and she wanted nothing more than to relax in the comfort of her own home.

"Is evewything okay?"

"Yes and no." She started to unlock her car door.

"Okay. So what's up? I saw you earwier today and you seemed fine. What happened?"

"I just don't think I fit in here."

"At the univewsity-or with me?" Barry grew very concerned.

"At the university," She reassured him. "I just don't really know anyone, and everyone I've met has seemed to feel totally awkward around me. Am I really that awful?"

Barry could tell that she was stressed, and a stressed Amy was always hard on herself. "Wisten, you are gonna do gweat here. I pwomise you. You are gonna be the best depawtment head this univewsity has ever seen. You're smart, bwilliant even, and you can handle anything they thwow at you."

Amy smiled.

"You just need a bweak," he continued. "What about your fwiend, Bernadette? Huh?" He put his hand below her chin to get her to look at him. "Why don't you go out and have some fun? You haven't done that in ages."

"Well, what are you going to do all night?"

"Don't wowwy about me. We have pwenty of time to spend together before I weave on Friday."

"What time is your flight?"

"I'd have to check the ticket. But it's only for thwee days, and then I will be back here in your arms. That is, the day you decide that it's okay for us to start hugging." He winked at her to lift her spirits.

Through a forced smile she asked, "Why do they have to send you all the way to Ohio? There aren't any closer conventions?"

"Not ones that cover dark matter theowies."

"I'm going to miss you so much," Amy whispered.

"I'm gonna miss you too, but it will all be back to normal before you know it. Twust me."


	3. Incomplete

**Well, I attempted to harness the Kripke vernacular, but the inconsistencies I have written are starting to bug me as well as the readers. I wanted to avoid his speech impediments during serious parts of the story, but it appears to be coming off as inconsistent. That being the case, I have hired a phenomenal translator to organize the mess known as Kripke's speech. CaitAmber will be my editor for all Kripke related topics. She is, after all, the resident expert. Thank you Cait!**

* * *

**Dissolve: to lose clarity or definition**

"Okay, folks," Seibert began, "I know it's a little out of the ordinary to call so many faculty members at once, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

The auditorium was filled with every available faculty member. There hadn't been this much commotion at the university since Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were made available in the cafeteria. Not even Stephen Hawking's visit came close.

"Oh, no! We're all getting fired," Raj whimpered. "They're going to send me back to India. I know it!"

"Would you stop?" Leonard said and bumped him in the arm. "I can't hear what he's saying."

"What he's saying is that we need to kiss more butts because the university can't manage money." Sheldon sunk in his chair and sulked.

"You don't know that."

"Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that we have found ourselves in a financial crisis," Seibert announced through the microphone.

"Told you," Sheldon mumbled.

* * *

"Is he sewious?" Barry asked Amy as they held hands in the auditorium.

"If the biology budget is any indicator, we're all out of a job."

"But how?"

"I couldn't say since I've only been here for a short time, but I don't even know how they're paying the staff they have now."

* * *

"I don't want to resort to cutting salaries, and I definitely don't want to cut positions altogether," Seibert continued. "But I think if we work together, we can beat this."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. Not only was his last proposal denied completely, but now Seibert and his minions were probing for more.

"I have a few ideas, and yes, you will all have to put on your Sunday best and earn every dime that comes into this university."

"Not me," Sheldon mumbled.

"And that includes you, Dr. Cooper."

Sheldon popped up in his seat when he realized that Seibert was addressing him directly. "But you said you never wanted to see my face at another fundraiser as long as you lived."

"That should tell you how drastic the circumstances are."

"But what if I choose not to participate?" Sheldon asked in a haughty voice.

"Then," Seibert sighed, "You're out of a job."

"But I'm Sheldon Cooper."

"Even Sheldon Cooper has to earn his keep. And that goes for all of you. I know we've hosted more fundraisers and applied for more grants this year than we have in the last five years combined, but we've also expanded projects in every department. We've made incredible progress in the geology and biology departments. And we've made the most progress in the theoretical physics department thanks to Barry Kripke. These advancements have opened up new jobs and new research opportunities, but we need to continue generating grant money and benefactor contributions to sustain this impressive growth."

* * *

"Pwesident Seibert?" Barry raised his hand to speak.

"Yes, Barry," Seibert answered.

"I just bwought in a sizable gwant. Am I still wequired to pawticipate in the fundwaisers?"

"Yes, I'm afraid. We need all the man power we can muster to sweep the benefactors off their feet. And Barry, you're research has proven to be the most promising."

Sheldon's body trembled with anger. He knew that Kripke was a poor excuse for a physicist and an even poorer excuse for a human being, but why couldn't anyone else see it?

"I didn't want to have to resort to this, but it looks like you boys in theoretical physics are going to have to team up again," Seibert announced in almost a whisper.

"What?" Barry stood from his seat and let go of Amy's hand. She could tell that he was furious. Working with Sheldon had been one of the most trying times in his life. She spent almost every night trying to calm him so he could focus and complete the proposal.

But if she had to go back, she'd do it all again. That simple assignment had brought them closer together. The day Barry was told about the proposal with Sheldon, she saw a whole new side of him. Suddenly, the jokes stopped. His focus shifted entirely towards physics, and that's when she knew that his rough, sarcastic exterior was just an act. He was a dedicated, passionate man that had made her happier than she'd ever been.

"You know how the wast pwoposal went," Barry started to raise his voice. "Coopew is so awwogant and widdled with compulsions that you had to wemove him from the pwoject yourself."

"I know, Barry." Seibert hung his head a bit before letting out a much needed sigh. "But it's _his_ research that needs the funding. I know that you deal primarily with dark matter, but Dr. Cooper needs funding for his research on String Theory."

"But what does that have to do with me?"

"If we can't maintain a steady source of income throughout the entire theoretical physics department, we will have to shut it down altogether."

"But you just said that we had made an incwedible amount of pwogress. How can we possibwy be buwning thwough money that quickwy?"

"I'm as baffled as all of you are, but this is where we stand."

The whole auditorium began to murmur. Barry sat back in his chair in shock. Not only was his job in jeopardy, but his entire profession could soon be disregarded at the university he'd called home for the last seven years.

"I don't bewieve this," he whispered. But even through the noise and commotion, Amy felt his hand wrap around hers, and she knew that he needed her even more than physics.

* * *

Sheldon felt completely alone in the auditorium. A thousand voices chimed around him, but he heard nothing. He saw nothing. He felt nothing but emptiness.

He could feel himself dissolve into the matter around him, losing all sense of identity.

"We haven't lost the fight," Seibert said in a more cheerful tone. "We have a benefactor fundraiser next week and an auction scheduled for next month. Both events are mandatory for all faculty members. I'm sorry to have had to call you all away from your busy schedules, but now that we're all on the same page, we can fix this mess that we find ourselves in. That's all for now. I look forward to seeing you all next week."

* * *

"I'm sorry," Amy said softly as Barry drove her home. "I wasn't expecting any of that."

She waited for him to respond, but it wasn't going to be tonight.

"Do you want to come in and watch a movie? Maybe just have some tea?"

"Not now, thanks," he said quietly as he put the car in park. "I think I'm just gonna head home."

Amy remained quiet and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Goodnight," she whispered and exited the car.

* * *

"Well, I don't think Penny and I were planning a girls' night tonight, but you're welcome to hang out with us. We are having dinner at a friend's house," Bernadette spoke into the phone.

"Wouldn't I be intruding?" Amy asked.

"Of course not. They are really great people. You'll get to meet Penny's boyfriend, Leonard. I think she's mentioned him."

"Okay. Should I wear anything in particular?"

"No, just dress casual. We usual meet around eight. You can drive with me if you'd like."

"That sounds great. I could really use a night of fun. Today was a rough."

"Well, I'm not sure how much fun we'll have but if all else fails, Leonard's roommate will give you some entertainment."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You'll see."


	4. Prostrate

_**Prostrate: to fall to one's knees and submit**_

"You sure I'm not imposing?" Amy asked after several moments of silence.

"Of course not! It's about time you meet some of my other friends, and most of them work at the university so you were bound to run into them eventually." Bernadette turned into the apartment complex. "Penny lives here too so she's just gonna meet us there."

"I'm feeling nervous," Amy began to breathe harder. "Do I look nervous?"

"No," Bernadette parked the car and turned to face her. "You look fine."

"Okay, because I tend to get a little," she lowered her voice and leaned towards Bernadette, "Feisty when I get nervous."

"Feisty how?" Bernadette could feel herself regretting the decision to invite Amy along.

"It's nothing to worry about. I don't turn into a whore or anything, but are you familiar with Tourette's Syndrome?"

"Fairly," Bernadette answered apprehensively, afraid of what was to come.

"Well, Georges de la Tourette never met me."

Bernadette offered a glazed over look of support and understanding before opening her car door. "Goody."

* * *

"This is the last flight of stairs, I promise. The elevator has been broken for years, and I don't foresee it ever being fixed," Bernadette said breathlessly as she and Amy climbed the tower to be with Rapunzel and her friends.

"That would have been a good fact to know before I drank that 24 ounce Powerade." Amy's waddle became more pronounced, but at least her need to use the restroom was outshining her nervousness about meeting new people.

"Okay, this is it," Bernadette said and raised her hand to knock on the door.

"Wait!" Amy shouted as she reached the final stair. "Just let me catch my breath. My heart rate is already elevated. I can't imagine the feast the Tourette's would have if I attempted to go in there right now."

"Okay," Bernadette stepped away from the door, "We can wait out here for a little while." Amy relaxed a bit and tried to gather herself. " But," Bernadette continued, "I should probably warn you…"

Just as Bernadette said his name, Sheldon flung the door open. "Sheldon has pretty good hearing," she whispered to Amy.

Amy gasped and looked up to see the menacing six foot frame of Sheldon Lee Cooper. He was so much taller than she remembered. "Son of a bitch!" she shouted before covering her mouth as quickly as possible. It was too late. The Tourette's had come out to play. She couldn't think of anything to say. On the outside, she was a plain, intellectual-looking professional woman. On the inside, her body was whirling into a frothy system failure. "I need to use your restroom," she said and ran through the door. Leonard was kind enough to point to the restroom to ease her quest.

Sheldon turned to Leonard with an exasperated look, "Good lord, no."

* * *

"I did not authorize Bernadette to be here, and I certainly did not give authorization for her to bring Kripke's lover into my home," Sheldon said firmly to Penny.

"First of all," she stood from her seat to get closer to him, "Bernadette is always authorized to join our group. And secondly, Amy is a wonderful person so if anyone isn't authorized to be here—it's you."

"She's right," Leonard seconded.

"Well," Sheldon threw his hands in the air, "It would appear you've all fallen for Kripke's tricks. Fine. You'll regret it, and I'll be here to watch it happen. But don't ever forget that I told you so." He slumped onto his spot on the couch and put a piece of pizza on his plate. "She is sleeping with the enemy, ergo, she IS the enemy."

"Just be quiet and eat your pizza, Sheldon. No one wants to hear your conspiracy theories," Leonard said.

"So what happened?" Penny asked Bernadette.

"I'm not sure," Bernie answered and hung her coat in the closet. "She was fine in the car and then she dropped the bomb on me that she has horrible anxiety about meeting new people. I never would have invited her if I'd known it would stress her out so much."

"Should we check on her?" Penny asked.

"Let's give her a little time to recuperate."

* * *

Twenty minutes had passed before Amy tepidly tip-toed down the hall to face her fears. All eyes were on her, watching her make a fool of herself. "I'm really sorry about that. I get," she paused to breathe, "Kind of nervous meeting new people."

"It's totally understandable, sweetie," Penny reassured and helped Amy find a seat.

"Here, take my seat," Howard said quickly.

"You can be such a nice guy sometimes," Raj said as he sipped his beer on the couch.

"No, I'm not," Howard whispered, "You're gonna sit on the floor."

Raj frowned as Howard slid into his spot on the corner of the couch, leaving the middle seat open.

"Absolutely not," Sheldon ordered.

"Shut up, you big baby!" Bernadette had lost all patience. "There you go, Amy. Best seat in the house. Pardon the poor company to your left. He's not good with new people either."

"We usually put him in his crate, but the vet said he needs socialization," Leonard added and winked at Sheldon.

Amy smiled slightly and sat on the couch next to Sheldon.

"Hungry?" Leonard asked. "We have pizza. It might be a little cold now, but it's still tasty."

"No, thank you. I think I better give my stomach a break."

"Good," Sheldon said and grabbed the last piece of pizza. "More for me."

Amy was beginning to realize that Sheldon didn't have a problem with new people. He simply had a problem with her. And whether he disliked her because of her status at the university or her status with Kripke didn't matter now. She'd seen enough.

"You do know what you're eating, don't you?" She asked Sheldon as he opened his mouth to consume the last piece of pizza.

"I know exactly what I'm eating. I'm eating the last piece of pizza so you'll have nothing to eat if you eventually decide that you're hungry."

"Clever, but not entirely true. Did you know that the bacterial growth on a food that is supposed to be kept hot increases exponentially after one hour?"

Sheldon continued to bite into the pizza, but his face began to tick.

"So, you're no longer eating pizza but rather the defecation of thousands of bacteria which can lead to anything from bad breath and gas to all-out food poisoning."

Sheldon pretended to be impervious to her words, but his chewing slowed and his body began to twitch as he attempted to give her the death stare. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't hold the food in his mouth for another second. He leapt off the couch and raced to the bathroom to gargle with mouthwash.

Everyone began to laugh out loud at Amy's quick-witted attack. She was rapidly becoming a welcomed member of their social group.

"I've never seen Sheldon run so fast," Raj snorted.

"How did you know all of that?" Penny asked between laughs.

"I'm a biologist. It's my job," Amy answered matter-of-factly.

"Well, you got him good," Leonard added. "Which surprises me because he's usually really careful about what he eats."

"Looks like Kripke's evil plot has taken affect," Howard said before releasing an evil laugh.

"Evil plot?" Amy asked and looked at her new-found friends.

"Nevermind."


	5. Enigmatic

_**Enigmatic: difficult to interpret or understand**_

"Thank you so much for letting me join you all for dinner. Are you sure you don't want me to pay for my share?" Amy asked as she grabbed her purse.

"Absolutely not," Leonard answered. "It was a pleasure having you here."

Sheldon snorted in laughter from his spot on the couch.

"Even if _some_ people refuse to be hospitable," Leonard said in Sheldon's direction.

"Well, it was really nice to meet you, Leonard. I had a fantastic time, and I apologize again for my outburst."

"Oh, don't worry about it. After Raj's six years of silence, it was kind of refreshing."

Amy shook Leonard's hand before waving goodbye to Penny and the rest of the guys. Sheldon paid no attention and continued to watch TV. He sipped his chamomile tea to calm his nerves, but there was no herbal concoction that could undo what was done tonight.

"You ready?" Bernadette asked as she waited for Amy to finish her goodbyes.

"Yep." Amy grabbed the rest of her belongings and left with Bernadette.

They set foot on the first stair and Amy began to chant. "Life, domain, kingdom," she whispered. Each word coincided with the following stair. "Phylum, class, order, family, genus, species."

"Everything okay?" Bernadette asked after watching the odd behavior during the first two stories.

"Oh, yes. It's just something I do to occupy my mind while partaking in the tedious task of stair-stepping."

"Tedious? It's only been two minutes."

"And that's two minutes during which my mind had not been challenged." Amy continued to chant as the inched closer to the main floor.

"Right," Bernadette whispered to herself.

* * *

"I understand that, Pwesident Seibert. It's just that…" Barry's voice trailed off as he listened to Seibert lecture him through the phone.

Barry had been in his office since the night before. Stewing, studying, planning, and processing everything that had happened the day before.

"Yes, sir. I know that the funding is the most impowtant thing wight now, but this is something I need to do."

Seibert chattered on the other end, but Barry's mind was a million miles away. His mind was with Amy. It was with the convention in Cincinnati. But more than anything, it was with his father who had just suffered from a stroke.

"It doesn't make any sense to schedule another twip when I will alweady be in Ohio this weekend. I'm just asking for one extwa day, sir. That's all. And I know that means I will be missing the fundwaiser on Monday, but you will still have Coopew and the rest of the depawtment to handle the benefactors."

Barry's eyes rolled back into his head as he listened to the same speech he'd heard a thousand times before.

"Sir, Sheldon is perfectwy capable of schmoozing the benefactors. He's a smart guy. He just needs some coaching."

Seibert answered immediately.

"No I wouldn't be able to coach him. I leave this afternoon."

There was a momentary silence on both ends of the conversation. Barry's was a result of simply not caring to finish the conversation, but Seibert's was a result of genuine though and concern. One slip from Cooper could cost the university thousands of dollars. He couldn't allow that to happen. Not again.

Siebert's voice finally filled the other end of the phone and Barry's eyes opened wide at his suggestion.

"Amy? But, sir, she hardwy knows Coopew. He'd swallow her awive."

Seibert began to list all of Amy's accomplishments as a noted neurobiologist. Nothing Barry didn't already know. But he had a point. If anyone could pick the lock to Sheldon's otherwise impervious brain, it was Amy. If anyone could find a way to talk to him, it was Amy. If anyone could decode the awkward-looking vault known as Sheldon Lee Cooper, it was Amy.

"Okay," Barry sighed and played with his stress ball. "I'll talk to her."

Seibert still wasn't happy that Barry wouldn't be present for one of the most important events of the year, but at least they had a plan.

"Okay, I will. And, sir?" Barry swallowed his pride. "Thank you."

* * *

"Hey, it's Amy," Leonard said and began to wave his arm in the cafeteria to get her attention.

"Oh, good lord! It's like being followed by an angry swarm of bees. I just can't escape!" Sheldon whined as Amy approached their table with her tray of food.

"Hi, guys," she said.

"You look a little lost," Leonard said.

"Lost is a very good word choice to describe my predicament. This is my first time eating in this cafeteria, and I can't seem to find the napkins anywhere."

"Oh," Howard interjected and sprinted to the wall beside them. "They used to be by the utensils, but the janitor finally gave in to Sheldon's demands and hung the dispenser right next to our table."

"Oh," Amy said and grabbed the napkins from Howard. "Well, the janitor deserves a hearty thank-you."

"They let him go after he threatened to put a bomb in the macaroni and cheese," Howard said dryly while Sheldon rolled his eyes.

"That's incorrect," Sheldon added. "He threatened to put it in the chili."

"Either way, he was after you," Leonard smirked. "So, Amy, why'd you decide to eat down here today?"

"To be honest, I was attempting to start meeting people. I've been here almost a week, and you guys are really the only people I've spent time with."

"Well, you're welcome to sit with us, right guys?" Leonard said while looking directly at Sheldon.

Sheldon ground his teeth loud enough for everyone to hear before answering. "Fine."

"Pull up a chair," Raj said kindly.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to sit next to the napkin dispenser," Amy responded and looked to Howard to see if he would trade seats with her.

"Sure," Howard said with a smile.

"Thank you," Amy said and pulled exactly four napkins from the dispenser and lined them perfectly along the edge of her tray.

"Is that some biology trick for keeping your food clean?" Leonard asked in an attempt to make a joke.

"No," Amy said dryly before explaining her system. "One is for my lap, another for my hands, another for my face, and the last is for emergency use only."

Leonard couldn't help but feel as if he'd heard that before.

"Your system is flawed," Sheldon said while forking his macaroni salad.  
"Excuse me?" Amy inquired.

"No guest napkin."

* * *

"Knock knock," Amy said as she walked into Kripke's office. He was busy studying an equation on his white board. His reading glasses perched themselves in their usual spot on the end of his nose as they battled for space with the pencil tucked over his ear.

"Oh, hey. I was just gonna caww you," he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

Amy walked into the room slowly. She hadn't seen him since the day before and didn't want to make any assumptions about his state of mind. "How's your dad?" she finally inquired.

"Still in cwitical condition. Docs say that he can go either way at this point."

"I'm so sorry, Barry. I could come with you to Ohio…" She gently reached for his hand. "For support."

Barry looked at her with a look she'd never seen. His eyes were laced with a pain that seemed to run so much deeper than even an ailing family member could create.

"I'd wather go awone," he whispered. "But thank you."

"Are you all packed?"

"Yeah. Fwight leaves in a couple hours."

"Is there anything I can do? I baked banana bread for the trip, but it didn't come out quite right." She paused. "Okay, it didn't come out at all. I didn't grease the pan so I couldn't get it loose."

Barry smiled and she saw it again, the look of someone destroyed with pain.

"I'll miss you," she said sweetly.

"Can you do a couple things for me while I'm away? They're important."

Of course."

"Feed Zippy."

"Oh, Barry, you know that mice hate me. They can sense that I've killed so many of their kind."

"You'll be fine. He'll be fine, but he needs to be fed and he has this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing going on when he doesn't get time away from the cage, so you're gonna have to wet him out at weast once a day. It'll be fine. Don't bother him and he won't bother you."

"What else?"

"Umm, actuawwy, I wied."

"Huh?"

"The next thing isn't impowtant, but I weally need you to cover my ass with Seibert while I'm away."

"I don't think I like the sound of this," she said hoarsely.

"It won't be that bad," he said before picking up his luggage and putting his glasses into their case.

"What won't be that bad?" Amy insisted.

Barry wheeled his suitcase towards his office door and put on his jacket. "I need you to babysit Sheldon Coopew duwing the fundwaiser on Monday night." He kissed her on the cheek, whispered goodbye in her ear, and began to wheel down the hall.

"Babysit? What does that even mean?" she called after him.

"You're the best!"

* * *

**I want to give another big shout-out to CaitAmber for translating Kripke's speech! It's much harder than it looks, folks. And as always: read, review, enjoy!**


	6. Lackluster

_**Lackluster: lacking in vitality, force or conviction**_

"Seriously? You guys are going to try on tuxes?" Leonard asked as Raj and Howard gathered their things to head to the tuxedo shop.

"President Seibert said we should wear our Sunday best," Raj said innocently.

"That just means you should dress how you would dress for church on Sunday," Leonard answered with a sigh.

"Well, I don't think they'd want me to go wearing what I wear for puja in the temple, and Howard doesn't go to church on Sunday, so we're renting tuxedos."

Leonard rolled his eyes at their logic. "Have fun."

After Howard and Raj embarked on their quest, Leonard returned to the couch to watch TV.

"So, what are you wearing," he asked Sheldon who was sulking on the sofa, dreading the entire notion of Monday.

"Assuming I'm going at all, I should just go naked. That would show them."

"You're going and you know it. There's no way you'd just sit by and let them close the theoretical physics department. And you're definitely not going naked.

"You're right. Too many people would enjoy that."

Leonard rolled his eyes.

"I guess I will just have to do it their way," Sheldon continued. "I will wear what they want me to wear, act the way they want me to act, and at the end of the night they can cut my brain open for dissection like all the other guinea pigs."

"So, you're gonna get a new suit?"

"I'll have to. I still haven't found the pants to the last suit Penny helped me pick out. What is she doing today, by the way?"

"I think she's hanging out with Bernadette. They said something about going to lunch and then the mall."

"Oh, dear god," Sheldon sighed with a petrified look on his face.

"You planning on heading down there?"

"Would you drive me?" Sheldon asked.

"Sorry, I can't. I'm waiting for a conference call about the Stephen Hawking trip."

"I guess I'll just have to take the bus." Sheldon stood from the couch in search of his bus pants

Leonard couldn't believe what he was seeing. Was Sheldon actually compromising? "So, let me get this straight—you are going to _**get on a bus**_ to_**go to the mall**_ to _**ask Penny for advice**_about _**buying a new suit**__?_"

"Yes," Sheldon replied resolutely.

"I can't even get you to cook me an extra egg in the morning, but you're willing to do all of this for Seibert?"

"Not for Seibert. For physics."

* * *

"Wanna stop by Cinnabon?" Penny asked while licking her fingers.

"We just had about ten pounds of Chinese food. How can you possibly still have room?" Bernadette answered while cradling her stomach.

"I'm full. But I can always make room for cinnamon rolls," Penny said with a mischievous smile. "You in, Amy?"

"Why not…" Amy started. "Barry's out of town. No sense in watching my figure."

"I hope you don't find this too forward, but I've wanted to ask since the two of you started dating," Bernadette lowered her voice. "What's he like in bed?"

Amy's face looked rather startled.

"I just mean that he's so open about his sexual preferences and experiences that you start to think that maybe he's not joking," Bernadette clarified.

"Umm, I'm not really sure how to answer that."

"So, he's that good?" Penny assumed.

"No, it's not that," Amy stuttered.

"That bad?"

"No, nothing like that. We're just—taking things slow."

"Oh," Penny said quickly, knowing fully that Amy meant they hadn't had sex and weren't even in that arena. "So, why exactly are you dating Barry Kripke? Is it his great personality and warmth?" Penny asked with a touch of sarcasm that wasn't intended.

"Barry's a little rough on the outside, I know," Amy started. "He has a way with people that really isn't desirable, but when you get past that and listen—I mean really listen, you can hear the care and consideration of a man who's never been given the opportunity to show genuine affection. He's really very kind, even if he struggles to show it."

"Well, I'll take your word for it," Penny answered. "How long is he out of town?"

"Until Tuesday."

"So he's missing the fundraiser?" Bernadette asked. "Howie made that sound like it was a pretty big deal."

"It is, but he has a convention in Ohio as well as a family emergency to tend to."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Bernadette said sweetly. "Well, you're always welcome to hang out with us until he gets back."

"That's very nice of you. But the biggest challenge I'll be facing while he's gone is at the fundraiser."

"How so?" Penny asked.

"Apparently, it's my job to supervise the social interactions of…"

"Oh, my god! Is that Sheldon?" Penny interrupted and pointed to a tall man cringing as he passed an over-flowing garbage can.

"What do you think he's doing here?" Bernadette couldn't help but laugh.

"I have no idea, but this is going all over Facebook." Penny pulled her phone from her purse and snapped a picture of the physicist. "Sheldon Cooper is in the mall!"

Amy held her tongue as Sheldon approached. It seemed to her that he was a problem that simply wasn't going to go away.

"Penny," he said as he approached the table, "I require your assistance."

"Is that your scientific was of saying please?" she answered.

"No, it's my way of saying I need your assistance. And what is she doing here?" he said in regard to Amy. "Can't you women do anything on your own?"

Penny slumped in her chair as Sheldon began to suck all the fun out of the air. "I'm definitely gonna need a cinnamon roll," she mumbled.

"Penny, all of these suits are ridiculous. Look at this one," Sheldon held up a simple navy blue double-breasted blazer. "It looks like something a teddy bear would wear in a department store window. I don't want to look like a teddy bear."

"Sheldon," Penny sighed, "We already know that you're not going to like anything in this store, so why don't we just accept that and move on to something more productive?"

Sheldon huffed and hung the suit back on the rack. "Why can't we just get one identical to the suit you picked out for my reward acceptance ceremony?"

"You can't wear something like that to a fundraiser," Penny said in shock.

"Why not?"

"Because that suit was for accepting an award. It was stuffy and distant."

"But you said I looked good."

"And you did! But you need something more inviting for a fundraiser. Something like…" Her voice faded as she scanned the racks. "Oh, my god," she whispered.

* * *

"Isn't it too tight?" Sheldon said while he squirmed in the dressing room.

"It's supposed to be that way," Penny said while she adjusted the blazer. "There," she continued, "Perfect."

Sheldon stepped into the common area of the dressing room in a shrunken light-gray blazer, slim-fitting slacks and brilliant black dress shoes. The silk white tie gently shimmered above his belt buckle.

"Oh, my god, Sheldon! You look amazing!" Bernadette said and walked towards to touch the mirage.

"I feel like a piñata," Sheldon whined.

"If you don't hold still while adjust these cuffs, I'm gonna hit you with a stick," Penny said and continued to make adjustments. "Sheldon, your body was made for wearing suits. You're tall, thin and graceful. You should be grateful. You look fabulous!"

"He needs a handkerchief for his pocket," Bernadette added.

"Oh, you're right. I hadn't even thought of that. Come on, I saw them by the entrance." Penny grabbed Bernadette by the arm and walked her out.

Sheldon stared at himself in the mirror, fidgeting and fussing in the dressing room lights. Amy felt awkward watching him, but he did look amazing in that suit.

She enjoyed observing his height. Barry was short—taller than her, but still short by men's standards. Her father was tall and thin, a look she'd grown to admire over the years.

"You really do look nice," she said quietly.

"I just don't know what Penny sees in this hippie-dippy outfit. I feel like a man in a boy's suit. It might as well be Leonard's."

"I think she chose it because it makes you look handsome," Amy said sweetly. He could see her face through the mirror. She was sincere.

"You really think so?'

"Yeah."  
"No one has ever said that to me before."

Amy smiled, but the moment was interrupted by the simple vibration of her phone against the wooden chair. "Sorry, I need to take this."

Sheldon paid no attention while the mirror caught him admiring the suit with stifled giddiness.

"No, he's fine," Amy said into the phone. "No, I won't forget to let him out. How's your dad?"

She looked at Sheldon through the mirror and mouthed a simple _I'm sorry._ But soon her face turned away as if she were self-conscious. "I wish you were here," her voice fell to a whisper, "I miss holding your hand in line for the movies," she continued, "And listening to your awful classic rock music when we drive, and the way you eat your ice cream in one big bite."

What she didn't realize was that Sheldon's flawless Vulcan hearing absorbed every uttered word. She was the first woman to ever give him a compliment, and she was in the process of confessing her love for another man. Suddenly the suit had lost its luster and became a musty piece of fabric.

* * *

**Thank your for all the reviews! They fuel my fire!**


	7. Resistance

_**Resistance: the attempt to prevent something by action or argument**_

"Well, you sound happy. Much better than Friday," Amy said into the phone.

_What can I say, Fowwer. I'm wovin' wife._

"Is you dad doing better?"

_No, he's about the same._

"You always seem to be really happy when you visit them. Maybe next time I could come with you?"

_Absowutewy, Fowwer!_

"Is everything okay?" Amy asked. She was talking to Barry Kripke the physicist, the son, and even the world-traveler. But Barry Kripke the boyfriend was nowhere to be found.

_You know it. This twip was such a stwess welief. I got to talk to my mom and sister. I got to sit in the hospital and wead to my dad, and I got to catch up with some owd fwiends._

"I'm happy for you," Amy said with a forced smile. She missed him terribly. "I really miss you, Barry."

_I miss…_ His voice faded as if he were covering the phone with his hand. _Oh, hey, it wooks wike mom made spaghetti so I gotta wun, but I'll talk to you tonight._

"Okay, tell your mom that I say…" But he'd already hung up the phone. Amy sat on her bed and continued to hold the phone to her ear, hoping that maybe he was still there, but it was no use.

* * *

"Sorry, Howard, but it looks like they may have put peanuts in your rice," Leonard paused as he handed Howard his plate. "And your pork." Leonard opened the third bag, "And your drink. Did you do something to the chef?"

Howard hung his head, "I may have hit his car with my scooter last time I was there."

"Well, you'll never be able to eat there again. That's for sure," Leonard added as he handed Howard the soda cup filled with peanuts and peanut shells. "Maybe Bernadette can pick up something for you on her way over."

"No, she's already picking up Amy. They'll be here any minute." Howard shook his head.

It was so small that no one would have ever noticed the reaction, but Sheldon noticed—the spike in his heartbeat, the gently layer of sweat lining his palms, and the need to compress his abdomen with each passing breath at the mere mention of Amy's name. These physiological repercussions left him perplexed. They couldn't be explained, measured, or even suppressed. They were simply there, wielding very forceful minds of their own. He had a great dislike for Amy. She was the sidearm of his mortal enemy, but hatred does not warrant such an uncontrollable and drastic change in vital signs.

He couldn't help but analyze every memory, looking for simple justification, when he realized that it was no different than what he experienced in the dressing room. He scanned his memories further, reaching far back into his childhood only to be completely distraught to find that he'd never experienced such an episode before that day. Was it an emotion? A disease? An out-of-body experience? What would he call it, assuming it happened again?

"Sheldon?" Leonard said while waving a hand in front of Sheldon's blank stare. "You okay?"

Sheldon's consciousness quickly returned to the present. "What?" he replied while feeling slightly out of breath.

"Everything okay? You're starting to look really flushed."

Sheldon felt his face and looked down at his food. Nothing seemed to make sense to the physicist. "I'm fine."

Knock knock knock.

"I'll get it. It's Bernie," Howard said and rushed towards the door. Sheldon sat perfectly still awaiting the arrival of Amy Farrah Fowler. The knot in his stomach twisted tighter.

"Oh, it's you," Howard said and opened the door to let Penny inside.

"Well, it's nice to see you too," she replied sarcastically.

Sheldon exhaled quickly, drawing the attention of Leonard who was seated near him.

"You really don't look good. Are you panting?" Leonard asked.

"I am experiencing some physiological distress, but it's nothing I can't handle."  
"You look nervous."

"Alright," Sheldon stood from his seat and began to walk away. "I've dealt with your allergies and lactose intolerance for years and you have the nerve to comment when my face gets a little flushed? I foresee a roommate evaluation in your near future."

Leonard rolled his eyes and kissed Penny hello.

"What's up with the whack-a-doodle this time?" she asked and settled on the floor near Leonard's feet.

"Same shit. Different day."

"Is it just me or does he look really nervous? I can see his hands fidgeting from here."

"I said the same thing, and now I'm regretting it."

Knock knock knock.

At the sound of the third knock, Sheldon released a tiny yelp. Both Leonard and Penny watched him curiously. It really was like living with a Chihuahua.

"Hey, sweetie," Howard said and kissed Bernadette on the cheek. "You wouldn't happen to have any snacks in your purse?"

"They put peanuts in your food again?" Bernie asked. Howard nodded pathetically. "Just let me take my jacket off. I think I have some fruit snacks."

"Hi, Amy. How was work today?" Leonard asked while showing her to a seat on the couch.

"Oh, the same as yesterday I suppose. I found the paperclips today, so that's a plus," she answered dryly and sipped from a bottle of water.

"Still getting used to things, huh?" Penny asked.

"Yeah, and I think that things are still getting used to me. I have a feeling that the last department head was more easygoing, especially with the budget. The faculty doesn't seem to appreciate my vision for this year's funds."

"Well, you just have to stay strong. They'll line up to thank you when they all get to keep their jobs," Leonard said to cheer her up.

Amy smiled.

Sheldon paced in the kitchen for a moment before walking toward his spot on the couch, but he simply could not bring himself to sit next to her, Amy Farrah Fowler, until he knew what was happening with his body. He needed to identify this illness. He needed to understand it. He needed to talk to—a biologist.

But that made him angry. It was her fault that he was sick. It was her fault that he had no control over his bodily functions. Did she really think she could just waltz into his apartment and he'd come crawling to her feet for help. No, he was no groveler. He was Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper, physicist extraordinaire. And she'd worn out her welcome.

"Why are you pacing. Just sit down," Leonard said firmly as Sheldon trotted back and forth behind the couch.

"I can't," he answered without stopping.

"Why not?"

"She's touching my spot."

"Oh, good god, Sheldon! Cut the Rain Man act and sit down. Have some manners." Leonard had run out of patience with Sheldon's rudeness towards Amy.

"Move," Sheldon ordered as he came to claim his spot.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had an assigned seat," she said.

"Why wouldn't I? I deserve it. I have an assigned parking spot at the university. I have an assigned office. Why shouldn't I have an assigned spot in my own home?" Sheldon finally felt as if he was in control of the situation, but then he felt it again—that awful flutter in his stomach. Butterflies was such an understatement. More like rhinoceroses.

"That makes sense. I will make a concerted effort to avoid your spot in the future."

"You just think you know everything, don't you? With you biology background and your librarian glasses." He didn't like this feeling. It was as if he were being controlled by two forces he'd never met. The force of attraction and the force of resistance. What was happening? Is this what a mental breakdown feels like?

"Sheldon, knock it off. You're being rude," Leonard interrupted.

"I'm being rude? She's the one who thinks she can walk in here and mock our entire system. She's the one who feels she can analyze my every move, like I am just another rat in her laboratory. Well, not anymore. You have no control over me." He grabbed his plate and stormed off into his room.

"Oh, my gosh. What did I do?" Amy asked.

"He must be stressed about something," Leonard started. "He's not usually that bad. I'm sure it had nothing to do with you. He has a way of taking his emotions out on whoever is nearby."

Amy sipped her water in an attempt to calm her nerves. Why did this man hate her so? Simply because she was dating Barry Kripke? Not even Barry himself incurred this much wrath.

"It'll be okay, Ames," Penny said and sat next to her in the now-vacant-Sheldon-assigned spot.

"You called me Ames," Amy said feeling choked-up that someone she knew cared enough for her to give her a nickname.

"Yeah, does that bother you? Because I can just call you Amy, if you like."

"No." Amy stopped to swallow the frog in her throat. "I love it."

"So, I totally forgot to ask you because I got sidetracked, but what was the special assignment you had for the fundraiser? You tried to tell me and Bernadette at the mall, but I kind of cut you off."

"Oh." Amy had not expected to discuss this, especially after Sheldon trampled her. "Well, it may be a bit of a sore topic now. I would rather not talk about it."

"You can talk to us," Penny said comfortingly. "We're your friends."

"Well, as you know, the fundraiser is a pretty big deal and some of the smaller departments are facing real challenges, especially the theoretical physics department which could potentially shut down altogether if the funds can't be raised."

The others in the room nodded as they listened to her talk. "That being said," she continued, "President Seibert asked Barry to keep an eye on Sheldon throughout the fundraiser so that there would be no social missteps that may deter benefactors from donating. But Barry will be out of town for the fundraiser."

Howard's eyes grew wide when he realized what she was about to say next.

"So, he asked me to take over."

Leonard could not believe his ears. The room fell silent since no one really knew what to say.

"Your silence is making me feel as if I'm in way over my head," Amy said.

"Ummm," Leonard said. "Why would they pick you to watch Sheldon? You hardly know him."

"Barry and President Seibert thought it would be best given my neurobiological background."

"I see," Leonard replied and scratched his chin. "Let me just start by saying that I think you'll do absolutely fine, but…" He paused and glanced down the hall. "He doesn't seem to care much for you. I'm not sure he'll even let you near him at the fundraiser."

"What do you suggest I do?" Amy asked. She needed to do this for Barry. She needed to be the woman of all women. She needed to be someone he could count on.

"Well, you'll need to get on his good side before Monday."

"And how exactly would I do that?"

"Sheldon likes people who treat him like he is superior," Leonard said and continued to wrack his brain for an answer. Finally one presented itself, and no one would like it. Except Sheldon, that is. "I hear he's looking for a new assistant."

"You want me to be his assistant? I'm a department chair. I don't have the time. Not to mention what little it will do for my already hazy image of authority."

"I'm just saying what you could do to help him learn to like you. Maybe you could pay him a compliment or two? It couldn't hurt."

Amy sat in silence on the couch. Monday was approaching far too quickly.

* * *

**Another big thank you to CaitAmber for her help with Barry's speech!**


	8. Retribution

_**Retribution: punishment that is considered to be morally right and fully deserved**_

The mission was simple: persuade Sheldon Lee Cooper that she was not the spawn of Satan. Okay, maybe simple wasn't quite the right word. But how hard could it really be? He was human and all humans could be programmed through neurobiological coding. Amy just needed to find the right buttons to press.

"Hey, there…" she trailed off, standing in his office doorway while fishing for a proper way to address him. Sheldon? Dr. Cooper? Pal? Nothing sounded right so she went with her gut. "You," she finished and leaned clumsily against his door.

Sheldon turned in his desk chair as slowly as possible. He'd seen it in a movie and thought it fitting. "I'll have you know that I have campus security on speed dial and I won't hesitate to call if you don't remove yourself from my office." He held his phone out like a super villain waiting to destroy the planet.

"Looks like it's calling your mom," Amy said after reading the screen.

Sheldon flipped the phone towards himself. "Drat."

"Listen, I know you don't like me much, but I was just wondering if we could talk about it?"

Sheldon continued to fidget with his phone. How could he have possible pressed the wrong speed dial button?

Amy watched the physicist and couldn't help but feel as if she were talking to the smartest child she'd ever met. A child with which she was obviously making no connection. She scanned her brain for any possible topics to discuss, but nothing seemed to be fitting. There was always the whole assistant thing that Leonard brought up. But that just sounded terrible no matter how she went about it.

"I hear you're looking for a new assistant." Well, she said it. There was no turning back now.

Sheldon finally looked up from his phone, feeling proud that he'd convinced himself that it was his phone's fault for misdialing. "What I do and don't do is none of your concern. Now, leave my office."

Amy took one step back until she was standing in the hall. "I was just asking because I'm new here and now that I've got things organized in my office, I actually have quite a bit of free time throughout the day."

"Of course you do. Biologists haven't discovered anything useful in the last decade. I'm surprised you haven't taught the monkeys to twiddle their thumbs right alongside you," Sheldon interrupted before turning toward his white board.

Amy felt her blood beginning grow hot, but she let the insult slide. She had bigger fish to fry—and physicists. "Well, the reason I mention it, is that I'd…" She could barely force the following words from her mouth. "Like to help the brilliant Dr. Sheldon Cooper with his day-to-day tasks." The words seeped from her mouth like molasses, sticking and stringing the whole way out.

Sheldon turned to face her. He had trouble recognizing sarcasm, but he was fairly certain she was serious. "You do understand that the position of my assistant can be quite demanding?"

"I do." Good god, what had she done?

"Well, Amy Farrah Fowler," he turned in his chair and began to write a fluent pattern of physics jargon, "There may be hope for you after all."

* * *

"You're not gonna make note cards?" Raj asked Howard as the guys sat at their table in the cafeteria.

"Why would I make note cards?"

"Dude, this is the most important fundraiser of our lives. We need to be on our game."

"Trust me, I'm on my game. And once the benefactors get a refreshing drink of water from the crystal glass that is Howard Wolowitz, they'll be all over my game too."

"You have taco meat in your teeth."

Howard immediately covered his mouth to remove the unwanted lunchroom delicacy. "I told you to tell me that kind of stuff privately," he huffed.

"Oops," Raj answered sarcastically.

"I can't believe that I'm about to say this, but Sheldon's late," Leonard said and scanned the cafeteria.

"Yeah, I have a feeling he won't be joining us for lunch today," Howard mumbled.

"Okay, spill. What do you know?" Leonard asked sensing that Howard was hiding something big.

"I may have seen Amy Farrah Fowler in his office."

"Oh, my gosh. And Sheldon wasn't freaking out?" Raj asked.

"It seemed like he might have actually been enjoying her company. They were sorting through boxes together. I heard her laugh at one point. It was all kind of creepy."

"I think the creepiest part is that you sat there and watched," Leonard added. Howard gave a simple shrug.

"I can't believe she took my advice," Leonard continued.

"What advice?" Raj and Howard asked in unison.

"I may have suggested that she offer to help him out today to get on his good side."

"Amy Farrah Fowler has balls of steel," Raj said. But balls of steel were no match for rock, paper, scissors, lizard and Spock.

* * *

"You know, Amy Farrah Fowler, I must say that I've genuinely enjoyed our time together today, even if you are dating that pathetic excuse for a scientist," Sheldon said arrogantly as he watched Amy organize and stack his last set of papers.

"Thank you?"

"I mean it. Granted, I was a little put-off by your rambling in the beginning about your neurobiological nonsense, but when we started talking about my monumental accomplishments in detail…" he paused. "Well, let's just say that things got better for you."

Amy had to take one long, deep breath to keep herself from strangling his skinny neck. "The pleasure was all mine, Dr. Cooper."

"There's no doubt of that." Sheldon finished organizing his desk drawers which were perfectly organized to begin with. "I assume you'll be here every day after seeing what great fun it can be. What time can I expect you in the morning? I'm sure you have a couple knick-knacks to tend to over there in the biology department, but that shouldn't take long."

That was it. Amy had snapped. Her feet took on a life of their own and before she could even stop herself, she had trudged behind his desk and started to move her hands towards his neck.

But then she pictured Barry and the disappointed look on his face when he discovered that she couldn't complete the one simple task he asked of her. He'd done so much for her in the four months that they'd been dating. He'd made her a better person and shown her what it was to live life to the fullest. He deserved better than her. He deserved someone that could control the urge to kill Sheldon Cooper.

Just as her hands approached the frail skin covering his throat, she quickly pulled them towards her own face and adjusted her glasses. One day someone will strangle Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper. But today was not that day.

"Well, we have the fundraiser tonight, and since I am a department chair, it could run late into the night. Let's just play tomorrow by ear." There was no way on this little green earth that she was willing to do this for another day, let alone make a commitment to this man. She just needed to get through the fundraiser, and then things could go back to normal.

Sheldon sat in his chair feeling a bit offended that she wasn't thrilled at the prospect of working with him on a daily basis. But was he upset that she didn't want to work alongside Sheldon the physicist or Sheldon the man? That dreadful feeling welled in his stomach again, but this time it was tainted with fear, or something like it. He had had just about enough of these nameless emotions.

"You do understand that by declining to reserve said time slot, you could be missing out on an opportunity of a lifetime? I don't let just anyone waltz in here and help me organize my files."

Amy could tell that he was becoming defensive and rushed to diffuse the situation the best way she knew how. "Where on earth do you get all of those clever T-Shirts? They look great on you."

Sheldon looked down at his Flash T-Shirt. What was so clever about it, he didn't know, but he did look good. And now, more to the point, he looked distracted.

"Oh, thank you. I have them specially made."

"Well, if you don't mind me saying, it's a one-of-a-kind shirt for a one-of-a-kind guy."

Sheldon smiled and even with his eidetic memory, had completely forgotten his previous train of thought.

* * *

"Good evening, gentlemen," Sheldon said smugly as he dropped his keys into the bowl and entered the apartment where Raj, Howard and Leonard were playing Halo.

"You seem happy," Leonard said without taking his eyes off the TV.

"I am. Apparently Kripke's girlfriend finally has her sights set on a real physicist."

"Amy said that?" Leonard paused the game to look at Sheldon.

"Well, not in so many words. But she's been following me like a sick puppy all day just begging to be a part of my world. And who can blame her?"

"You got all that from her offering to help you out while you look for a new assistant?"  
"And so much more. She likes my T-Shirts, Leonard." Sheldon's voice was smug as always, but for the first time in years it was laced with genuine excitement. "That poor kitten's got it bad. Too bad she'll never be any more than that."

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, "Leonard started, "But what exactly do you mean by that?"

"I'm Sheldon Cooper. Many a woman will swoon in my glory, but I'll never be caught."

"You really think Amy is swooning in your glory?"

"She likes my shirts. Why is this so confusing for you?"

"Shut up, dude," Raj said while continuing to jam the buttons on his controller. "No one is swooning over you. You're gonna be alone forever."

"Of course I am. By choice."

Raj paused the game and stood from his seat. He'd spent years listening to Sheldon's arrogance and wanted nothing more than to put him in his place. "The only reason she's being nice to you is to get on your good side."

Sheldon opened his mouth to speak but Raj cut him off. "And no, she's not trying to butter you up to swoon in your glory, take part in your research, or even win your affections. She's treating you like this because Kripke asked her to."

Sheldon's brow furled. "But that doesn't make any sense."

"Let me explain in detail," Raj said mockingly, "President Seibert asked Barry to keep an eye on you during the fundraiser so you don't screw it up like you did a few years back, but he's not going to be there tonight. So, President Seibert asked Amy to do it."

Sheldon couldn't believe his ears.

"And Amy is smart enough to know that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, so she's buttering you up so you won't even notice when she herds you through the fundraiser like a mindless sheep."

"I see," Sheldon said quietly. He grabbed his soda and began to walk to his room. "She may find out that this sheep can be more difficult to handle that anyone ever imagined."

Sheldon's bedroom door slowly shut, and Raj sat back in his seat as if her were some sort of hero.

"You idiot," Leonard said loudly. "Now we're all gonna lose our jobs."


	9. Homogeneous

_**Homogeneous: consisting of parts all of the same kind**_

"Why are you wearing that awful color? No offense," Penny said to Bernadette while they prepped for the fundraiser.

"Howie got a powder blue tux." Bernadette sighed and looked at her outfit. "So, I had to wear a powder blue dress."

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you guys don't have to match. This isn't the prom."

"What is Leonard wearing?" Bernadette asked as she put her jacket on in an attempt to cover the ruffles on her sleeves.

"To be honest, I don't really know. As long as it's not a Star Trek uniform, I'm happy."

"Wow," Bernadette started, "I never would have thought I'd hear you say that."

"You learn to pick your battles. Let's face it. Changing Leonard's fashion sense was a war I was never going to win."

Bernadette and Amy laughed while they sat on Penny's bed.

"What about you, Amy? Are you nervous about going without Barry?" Bernadette asked while Penny fumbled in her closet.

"I'll miss him, but it's not like I haven't gone stag to a fundraiser before."

"But don't you like having someone to share inside jokes with?"

Amy looked at Bernadette with a blank stare. "We don't share the same sense of humor, unfortunately. It's the one flaw in an otherwise perfect relationship."

"Wow, you're really lucky, Amy," Penny said from her closet. "I've never been in a relationship with only one flaw. Most relationships take a lot of work. How long have you been dating?"

"Four months," Amy said as if it were a huge milestone.

"So what do you guys talk about?" Bernadette asked sweetly. "And feel free to tell me to shut up if I'm prying."

"Not at all," Amy reassured her. "We talk about a lot of things, especially his work concerning dark matter. He's so passionate. And oddly enough we spend an enormous amount of time talking about monster trucks and reality TV."

"I never thought you'd be the kind of person who liked monster trucks and reality television," Bernadette said.

"I'm not."

The room was quiet for a bit while the wheels in Bernadette's brain turned. "Well," she started, but paused to choose her words very carefully, "It sounds like you guys spend most of your time talking about his interests. What about yours?"

"Well, Barry is one of my interests, so essentially, everything we talk about relates to my interest."

Bernadette nodded her head, sensing that maybe she had hit a sore spot in Amy's otherwise mellow regard for her relationship with Barry Kripke.

"Yes!" penny shouted and pulled a low-cut red dress from the closet.

Amy and Bernadette looked on with widened eyes. "Perfect."

* * *

"That's it. I give up. I can't tie this damn thing," Howard grumbled.

"Told you tuxes were a stupid idea," Leonard chuckled as he fussed with his own standard tie.

"Don't be like that. He looks amazing, but bow ties can be tricky. May I?" Raj said as he reached for Howard's tie.

Howard nodded while Raj gently tied the bow. "Now, how's that?"

Howard looked in the mirror. "Wow, it looks great."

"You get him a corsage too?" Leonard asked Raj.

"You're just jealous because you can't even tie a regular tie," Raj retorted.

Leonard hung his head when he realized that the knot he'd spent the last ten minutes tying, was completely crooked.

"What's Sheldon wearing?" Raj asked.

"Does it matter? He's gonna destroy the whole fundraiser because you blabbed about Amy."

"It'll be fine. Sheldon is all talk. He wouldn't do anything even if he wanted to."

Just as Leonard opened his mouth to speak, Sheldon emerged from his bedroom in his stunning gray suit. His shoes shimmered and flashed as if they were being swarmed by paparazzi.

"What the hell?" Howard said breathlessly. "That's what you're wearing? Where did you even find that?"

"Penny and Bernadette picked it out for me on Saturday."

"Saturday? Bernie said she couldn't help me pick out a suit because she was going to the mall."

"That's where I bought it."

"It's simply," Raj started, staring at Sheldon in complete awe, "Flawless."

"Penny picked that out?" Leonard said and touched Sheldon's perfectly straight tie. "That's some great taste. Even for her."

"I look like a clown," Sheldon pouted, "But that is irrelevant because this fundraiser is not about looking good, raising money, or even discussing my research with lesser minds." He paused and looked at himself in the mirror, gently brushing his hair to the side. "It's about dragging Amy Farrah Fowler to her knees."

* * *

He hadn't picked up the phone all day, but she listened to his voicemail again simply to hear his voice. Amy had never missed Barry as much as she did right now. Her hair fell gently against her face as she gently brushed a light shade of blush along her cheeks. She'd done everything to convince herself that going to this fundraiser alone was commonplace for her, but the truth was—she felt terrified. Not only was she a member of the faculty, but she was a department chair. If the others in her department failed to procure the necessary funds, the responsibility fell solely on her shoulders. Not to mention the nearly impossible task that had been assigned to her—keeping Sheldon Cooper in line.

She could stay home? Maybe read a book with her best friends, Ben and Jerry. Hell, she could burn her retinas with her curling iron. Anything sounded better than dealing with Sheldon. But there was a silver lining to this low-lying thunderous cloud of death—he liked her now. That would have to be enough.

* * *

"Can't you see it?" Leonard asked Penny as he helped her with her coat.

"See what?" she answered while scanning his apartment.

"The lump in Sheldon's back pocket?"

"Kind of, I guess. I don't make a habit of checking out Sheldon's ass."

Leonard glared over the top of his glasses before whispering, "He knows that Amy is going to be watching him tonight."

Penny's eyes grew wide when she realized the magnitude of the situation.

"He spent two hours loading new programs onto his phone. I even heard him watching all of the joker's scenes in The Dark Knight, reciting each line right along with Heath Ledger. And now he has lumps in his pockets? This is getting out of hand."

"What do we do?" Penny asked quietly.

"We're all going to have to work together to keep them separated. Sheldon looks harmless, but that's how all super villains start."

"Alright. I'll let Bernadette know. Should we tell Amy?"

"No," Leonard whispered while opening the front door. "He can probably smell fear."

* * *

"Good evening, President Seibert," Leonard said while shaking his hand.

"Hello, Dr. Hofstadter." Seibert scanned the room cautiously. "Where is Dr. Cooper?"

"Still in the car."

"And Dr. Fowler?"

"On her way, I think."

"This is serious, Hofstadter. He is not to enter this building until she arrives." Seibert stormed into the crowd with a forced grin of decency.

"Wow, that's your boss?" Penny asked. "He's kind of an ass."

"Who isn't when they're discussing Sheldon?"

"True. Oh, hey, there's Amy."

She had the walk of a woman with an IQ of 192—swift, meek, and downright awkward. But she was on a mission. She was here to raise money for her department, and she was here to obliterate Sheldon's every chance for destruction. How exactly was she planning to do this? She hadn't the slightest idea.

"Hey, guys," she said breathlessly and put her purse on the nearby table.

"Hey, Ames. You feeling okay?"

"Just a little nervous."

"Why?" Penny asked. "You've done this a hundred times."

Amy's breathing began to increase, but panic had already taken hold. "Lots of new people here."

Leonard and Penny immediately looked at each other. This was going to be the night from hell.

Sheldon finally entered the room looking stunning in his suit and sporting a light scent of Purell. He looked so good that no one could tell he was a mysophobic, arrogant, compulsion-stricken genius. Well, not yet at least.

Amy took one look at his svelte figure heading her way and excused herself to the restroom. Tourette smiled at her feeble attempt to control the situation. He was ready to play.

Leonard and Penny looked at each other once again. Hell was starting to look like a white sand beach on a cloudless day. It couldn't get any worse than this.

But then they saw Sheldon move one of his hands towards the bulge in his pocket. Leonard pulled Penny close as they braced themselves for what could be the end of the world as they knew it. Sheldon had spent years talking about a death ray. This may just be the day he stops talking and starts annihilating small planets.

"Hello," Sheldon said smugly.

"What do you have there, Sheldon?" Leonard asked.

"Just the most humiliating means of ruin for the one and only, Amy Farrah Fowler."

"Oh," Leonard whispered.

Sheldon pulled his hand slowly from his suit pocket. Leonard could hear nothing but the sound of his heart in his ears.

_Kill Raj. Kill Raj. Kill Raj. _It chanted.

A shade of pink flashed beneath Sheldon's hand, and Leonard quickly began to realize just what an odd curveball the situation was about to throw. Sheldon held his prize revenge inducer out for Penny and Leonard to see.

"Sheldon," Leonard started calmly, "That's a whoopee cushion."

"I know. And I've come to understand that female flatulence is highly frowned upon in public arenas. She'll be the laughing stock of the entire fundraiser."

"This is your master plan? You were in your room for hours planning this?"

"I was planning an elaborate distraction to lure her away from her seat so I could plant The Whoopinator. That's its code name—The Whoopinator."

"Clever," Leonard sighed. " She's in the bathroom."

"Oh," Sheldon said with a squeak. "Well, it doesn't hurt to be prepared." He inconspicuously placed the cushion on Amy's chair. Dinner would be served in less than an hour. His victory could wait until then.

* * *

It had been over an hour since Amy left to use the restroom. Dinner had come and gone, much to Sheldon's and his Whoopinator's dismay. But at least the fundraiser was running smoothly.

Until Mrs. Kensington tapped Sheldon on the shoulder. Surely, she had heard of his brilliance and wanted to discuss his research. Sheldon turned to face the well-dressed, slightly gray woman, dreading the idea of discussing anything other than to whom she should write the check.

"Excuse me," she started.

Sheldon stood from his seat and towered over the woman. "Yes, I'm sure you have several questions. Perhaps you want an autograph or signed photo, but in the end it all comes down to an exchange of currency. So, let's just pretend we've met all the previous requirements and skip straight to that." He raised an eyebrow while waiting for her to reach for her purse.

"I beg your pardon," she said feeling somewhat offended and confused.

Sheldon rolled his eyes at the notion of having to explain himself further. "I understand that simple conversation is difficult to grasp for you, but undoubtedly you've read my research and would like to fund my future projects."

"I'm sorry, my dear boy," the woman said, "But I haven't the slightest idea who you are."

Sheldon's voice hit a register almost inaudible to the human ear. "I'm Dr. Sheldon Cooper, theoretical physicist."

"I'm sorry. I've never heard of you."

"But you tapped me on the shoulder. You initiated a conversation with me. Why else would a benefactor approach a faculty member at a fundraiser if said benefactor was not interested in donating copious amounts of money?"

"Well, it's true that I am looking to make a donation. But with your flashy suit, I assumed you were one of the event co-coordinators and could point out Dr. Amy Fowler to me. I read the paper she published last quarter and am very eager to discuss her future research at Caltech."

"Amy. Farrah. Fowler?" Sheldon repeated robotically.

"That's right."

Leonard felt his stomach jump. This was taking a very bad turn. Sheldon still may be pocketing a death ray.

"So," Sheldon continued. "You're interested in biology?"

"I'm sure she's interested in a lot of things, right Mrs. Kensington?" Leonard interrupted in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

"No, my primary interest has always been in biology." Well, she was sinking her own ship. "And Dr. Fowler's research has been especially intriguing."

And that was the cherry on top.

Sheldon folded his arms. "Do you believe in Evolution, Mrs. Kensington?"

"No. I'm a Creationist."

"Well, I suggest," Sheldon said softly while moving closer to her, "That you turn on your fossil of a computer and study the wisdom of Charles Darwin, because you are a living, breathing testimonial that Homo habilis still walks the earth."

The woman's eyes narrowed before she stormed out of the meeting hall.

"They sell bananas in the cafeteria if your inner ape is craving a midnight snack!" Sheldon shouted behind her.

Leonard saw Seibert plowing towards them and desperately tried to blend in with the wallpaper.

"Where is Dr. Fowler?" he fumed.

* * *

Amy continued her breathing exercises in the third stall of the women's restroom. Her therapist said that they would help, but the last two hours had proven otherwise. She even attempted to engage in stall-to-stall chit chat to distract her mind, but no one would comply.

She called Barry's phone a dozen times, but the sound of his voicemail was losing its captivating quality. She was alone, whether she wanted to accept it or not. It was time to face her responsibilities.

She took one deep breath and opened the bathroom stall, taking special care not to see herself in the mirror. She didn't need any reminders of her inadequacy.

The bathroom door swung open and a wave of chatter assaulted her senses. Tourette surfed his way right into the forefront of her thoughts.

She was surprised to see that many of the benefactors had already left. Was she really in that stall that long? She glanced at her watch to find that she'd been missing for almost three hours.

A woman approached her quickly and began asking a list of questions that she'd been saving for the brilliant Amy Farrah Fowler. Amy felt the nausea bubble while her head began to spin. It wouldn't be much longer until she was faced with a difficult case of Dr. Fowler and Mr. Tourette.

"I love your dress," Amy finally said to the woman.

"Oh," the woman said while looking at her cocktail dress. "Thank you."

"A little whorish don't you think?" Amy asked with a wink.

"Excuse me?" The woman replied.

"I get that you're trying to get a little action. Maybe find some candy on the side. Who wouldn't? These kinds of fundraisers are as appealing as drinking wine from a dirty boot, but I don't swing that way, if you know what I mean."

"I don't know what you mean," the woman said curtly.

"Don't get me wrong. The boobs are phenomenal. I'm sure they were worth the expense, but I'm just saying that I'm more into guys."

The woman took one last sip of her wine and looked closely at Amy. "Seibert will be hearing about this."

Amy grabbed her hair in shame. She never should have left the bathroom.

* * *

The night progressed rather quickly after the benefactors had departed. The faculty members seemed to be in a rush to leave after such a miserable night, but not everyone was so lucky.

"Do you know what you cost the university tonight?" Seibert said as he paced in front of Amy and Sheldon. "Over $150,000. What am I supposed to do about that? Fire you? Deduct it from your pay? Eliminate the departments, causing dozens of innocent people to lose their jobs?"

Amy couldn't help but cry. She tried so hard to keep this from happening. She'd even befriended the most awful human being she'd ever met in order to make this night a success.

Sheldon sulked and continued to tell himself that he'd done nothing wrong, but his heart knew better.

Seibert rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Cooper, you've been a thorn in my side ever since I started at this university. You've taken every opportunity to make my life a living hell, and let me tell you, it's taken all my might to not return the favor. And you," he said and looked at Amy. "You just started here, and this is the name you are trying to make for yourself? You should be ashamed. And you should both be fired." Seibert sat on the edge of the table and took a deep breath. "But I'm too angry to make a decision about this right now. So, I want both of you in my office tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. We'll discuss it then. Until then, stay out of my face." He shook his head and left the room.

Sheldon immediately looked around for Leonard and Penny, but everyone had left except for Amy and a few other department chairs. "Can someone take me home?" Sheldon said softly. But no one was interested. No one wanted to share a car ride with a man who had destroyed their chances for future employment.

Except the woman who helped him do it.

"I'll take you," Amy whispered as she wiped the tears from her face.

* * *

The car ride was quite. Neither said a word, but despite the night's transgressions, they felt a sense of comfort in knowing that they were in it together.

Sheldon cracked his window and watched the streetlights passed. He'd never felt so many bizarre feelings in all his life, and he'd never been so confused about what to call them. But he did know one thing—he didn't mind Amy driving him home. He didn't mind the smell of her perfectly clean car. He didn't mind the sight of her toes after she removed her heels to drive.

And at this particular moment in time—he didn't mind that she was the enemy.

Amy pulled into the apartment complex while Sheldon gathered his things. He opened the door and stepped out. There was no need for good-bye's or pleasantries. They'd seen each other's weaknesses. They'd seen each other's flaw and failings. But more importantly, they'd seen that behind all of the animosity and secrecy—they were the same.

Sheldon shut the door and looked at Amy through the open window. "You're floor mats are crooked," he said and left towards the stairwell.

And after a day like today, Amy couldn't help but smile.

* * *

She pulled the covers all the way up to her chin and desperately tried to erase the night's memories from her mind. She pulled her phone from her purse and called Barry one last time.

_Hi, you've weached the voicemail of Bawwy Kwipke. Sucka!_

Her fingers fidgeted with the keypad when she felt the urge to access her Caltech account. She'd seen the link for weeks now, but never had a reason to use it.

But tonight, she had a reason.

She pressed the link for the faculty directory and looked up her partner in crime, Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper, BS, MS, MA, PhD, and ScD. His phone number was the first thing listed.

She entered the numbers into her phone and sent the text that started it all.

"_I'm glad I wasn't alone tonight_."

* * *

**Thanks again for the reviews! I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story thus far. I will do my best to make each chapter better than the last. Chapter 10 is in the works!**


	10. Homeostasis

_**Homeostasis: **__**The tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements**_

The walk to Seibert's office seemed longer today. Maybe it was because she was walking much more slowly than usual. Maybe it was because she dreaded the thought of what he had to say to her. Or maybe it was because some small part of her was dying to know Sheldon's reaction to her text the night before. But no matter how she played the upcoming events in her head, they ended badly.

They ended with her losing everything she'd worked so hard to accomplish. She was sure she'd lose her job, Barry, and the budding friendship with Sheldon Cooper that she had grown to crave. And for what? To earn money at some fundraiser when the necessary funds had already be procured earlier in the year? Barry was right. How could they possibly be burning through money like that?

After the miseries of the previous night, she couldn't help but bathe in the one peaceful moment when she drove Sheldon home. Somehow it felt right, but the university budget, Seibert's face, and Barry's absence shattered that moment into a thousand pieces, and she was left to stew about the things she could not control.

And there it was—Seibert's office, room 202.

But the door was open and rather than the sight of a furious President Seibert, she saw a somehow calming number 73 set on a pale blue background. Sheldon stood like a statue, reading a folder with his name on it. But judging by the look on his face, she was sure it contained nothing more than a pink slip.

She noticed another folder on the desk with her name on it. And after seeing Sheldon's reaction to the contents, she had no interest in opening it.

"That bad, huh?" she said quietly while reaching for the folder.

"Worse," he replied without looking away from the contents of his folder.

"I'm scared to look." She grabbed the corner and flipped it open. The letter inside was more ridiculous than she could have ever imagined.

"He can't really expect us to do this," she said. "It's degrading."

Sheldon looked at her with genuine sadness, almost to say that he knew something that she didn't. "There is an alternative," he said and pointed to the next page in her folder.

It was a resignation form.

* * *

"Hey thewe hot stuff," Barry said while standing in her office doorway.

Amy turned quickly, recognizing the voice. "What are you doing here? I was just getting ready to go pick you up from the airport?"

"My fwight got in a wittle early, so hewe I am," he said with a smug grin and started to walk towards her with outstretched arms, expecting to be showered with affection.

But Amy stepped back and folded her arms. Was he serious? He hadn't said more than two words to her since he left, and now he wanted her full attention?

"Where were you last night?" she whispered while keeping her eyes on the floor.

"What do you mean?"

"I called you over a dozen times yesterday."

"I was busy. You know that," he said and attempted to touch her arm but she pulled away.

"You didn't even call me to tell me that your flight landed safely."

"I wanted to surpwise you. What's wwong, Amy?"

She'd tried to avoid that very question the entire weekend, but here it was again, staring her in the face-demanding answers. What did she have to say for herself? That she might be losing her job? That she might be losing her relationship with the man that she thought was the one? That she can't stop thinking about Sheldon Cooper and the sweet Texas timbre that seeped from his mouth.

She'd convinced herself that Barry had left her alone this weekend. That he hadn't even taken the time to check on her, but if he had, what good would it have done? Somehow, he just didn't belong. Maybe she wanted to be alone. To work. To think. To dream?

But she knew she was being selfish—childish even, and he didn't deserve that.

"I was just worried about you. That's all," she whispered and looked at him with tears and confusion in her eyes.

"Hey," he said and wiped the single tear that had fallen down her face. "I'm hewe now. I'm okay."

The moment felt right to him. He gently slipped his arms around her shoulders and cradled her in the softest hug he'd ever given. And to his surprise, she let him.

"Come on," he said. "Wet's get some lunch."

* * *

"What's up, fewwas?" Barry said while he walked hand-in-hand with Amy through the lunchroom. "I see nothing has changed. You'we stiww at the woser table."

"Hi, Kripke," Leonard answered. "What do you want?"

The rest of the guys continued to eat their food. Talking to Kripke was more appetite-destroying than any image of blood and guts could ever be. And they made pizza today. No one wanted to give that up.

"Aww, poor Hofstadtew. Is your wady not givin' you enough wovin'?"

"We're fine," Leonard continued.

"Sure," Kripke answered in disbelief. "If she ever gets fed up, give her my numbew. Let her see what a weal man has to offew." He made a simple pelvic thrust to, pardon the pun, _drive_ the point home.

But Sheldon, of all people, found the implication completely disgusting and degrading. But not for Penny's sake. She was a big girl, capable of handling herself. And not for Leonard's sake. If anyone could take an insult like a man, it was Leonard.

He told himself that he hated the gesture for Amy's sake. That he was somehow defending her honor by hating Kripke and his disrespect for the woman standing next to him. But that wasn't it at all.

He hated it for himself. He hated the idea that this disgusting excuse of a man was holding hands with Amy Farrah Fowler. He hated that he went home with her at the end of the day. And now, although he hadn't considered it before, he hated the idea of him having sex with her.

And today, Sheldon Lee Cooper did something he'd never done. He picked up his tray still covered in uneaten food, walked away without saying a single word, and left the lunchroom early.

"Probabwy has to insewt a new battewy pack. It's tough pwetending to be human on a wegular basis," Barry laughed, but Amy pulled him towards a neighboring table before he could cause anymore damage.

"I wish you wouldn't be so mean to them," she said when they finally sat down.

"Why? They totawwy desewve it."

"Do they? You're the one being an ass, treating them like garbage and making degrading comments about their girlfriends. Which, by the way, is an insult to me as well."

Barry could tell that he'd crossed the line and he loved Amy enough to admit it. "Amy," he sighed. "I'm so sowwy. I don't know what happens to me. I feew wike I have my shit togethew, and then I go to Ohio and evewything seems to faww apawt. I need to stop hanging with my owd fwiends."

"You're using your friends from home as an excuse?"

"It's not an excuse. I get awound them, and I turn into the guy I used to be. The guy I was befowe I met you. And sometimes I wose sight of myself."

"I don't like that guy."

"I don't wike him eithew."

Amy turned her head away and felt completely ashamed to be sitting with the man that everyone dreaded talking to.

"Look," he said in a serious fashion. "I'm sowwy for evewything I said. I got caught up in a world that I thought I left behind. It won't happen again. You desewve so much more than that. You desewve a man who will tweat you with nothing but wespect. Pwease, wet me be that man. I can do it. I pwomise you."

Amy looked at him and saw truth in his eyes. He was trying. And that was enough for her.

"Okay," she whispered.

Barry smiled and touched her hands from across the table—the way lovers do. And for the first time, things felt normal. The room stopped spinning and emotions were easy to control. Life was unfolding the way they had planned. They were back on track.

"Wet's see a movie tonight," he said.

"I'm supposed to hang out with Penny and Bernadette."

"Well, we can aww go togethew."

"I'm sure they are going to want to bring their husbands and boyfriends," Amy said and glanced toward the loser table.

Barry felt his stomach wrench at the idea of sitting in a movie theater, or anywhere for that matter, with them. But he wanted to be the new man that Amy needed.

"Fine," he said.

Amy smiled and squeezed his hands in delight. Maybe this could work after all.


	11. Forsaken

_**Forsaken: having been abandoned**_

There was a time when she wondered what it would be like to have a man pursue her, and now it had happened. She felt fireworks in her stomach when he asked her on a date. She felt sweat on the inside of her palms when he reached to hold her hand for the first time, and she walked with a smile on her face for days. But what did it really mean?

Amy brushed her hair before she was to meet Barry and the others for the movies. She enjoyed the silence of her apartment, but sometimes it was too much to take. Tonight was one of those nights. There was so much she was questioning, and the apartment knew it. It continued to drive away visitors and interruptions to force her to look at what she had been too terrified to look at before.

Was she dating Barry because she was in love? Or simply because he was the first man that had ever shown any interest in her? She cursed herself for having no answers. And she cursed the apartment for failing to give her one goddamn moment of peace.

But that all had to be put on the back burner now. She was about to go to the movies with her friends and the man she'd spent thirty-two years waiting for. It was going to be a fabulous night.

* * *

"You can't park here. It's a tow-away zone," Sheldon said matter-of-factly.

"No, that's the tow-away zone. This is a parking space. And it's right next to the theater, so I'm not moving."

"Leonard, your front right tire is clearly touching the bright red line of the tow-away zone. Thus, you are in the tow-away zone. You might as well kiss this car goodbye."

"Are you really going to miss the new Superman movie because I'm touching a stupid red line?"

Sheldon sat in thought.

"You've been talking about this movie since you found out they were making it," Leonard continued.

"You're right," Sheldon said quickly, and reached for the door handle. "It's not my car."

But as he fumbled with the door, he saw something most peculiar. It looked like Amy and Barry holding hands and walking towards the theater. His theater. The theater that was about to play the movie he'd been waiting forever to see.

"Leonard," he said before stepping out of the car. "Is that Barry Kripke and Amy Farrah Fowler?"

Leonard hung his head. "Yeah," he sighed. "They're joining us tonight." He put his jacket on and mumbled to himself.

Sheldon paused for a moment to digest the situation and then sat back in his seat and closed the car door behind him.

"What are you doing? The movie starts in ten minutes."

"I'm not going."

"Why? Just because Kripke's here? Don't let him ruin your night."

But Sheldon had nothing more to say. Leonard closed his door and left Sheldon in the car like a dog that refused to set foot in the vet's office. At least it was warm outside.

* * *

"Hey thewe, Coopew. What are you doing in the caw? Movie stawts any minute," Kripke said while approaching the car—Amy dangling sweetly from his arm.

Sheldon looked up to see the invader. "Not going," he whispered.

"You sure? Supposed to be a heww of a fwick."

"Please go away," Sheldon said and rolled his window up.

"Okay, see you water, buddy," Barry said and waved goodbye. He was desperately trying to be nice to Sheldon for Amy's sake. He wanted to be her everything, and at this particular moment, he knew he was on his way because she was smiling at him. Smiling at him the way she used to.

"Do you mind if I talk to him for a minute?" Amy whispered. Barry was reluctant to leave her alone with another man, but then he remembered that it wasn't a man. It was Sheldon. He kissed her hand and left towards the theater to get tickets before they were sold out.

Amy tapped on the glass to get Sheldon's attention. He glanced in her direction but refused to open the window.

"Well, I'm sure you can hear me," Amy started and leaned closer to the glass, "So, I want to tell you that I had a long talk with Barry. He won't be cruel to you anymore."

"I don't need you to fight my battles," she heard Sheldon mumble from inside the car.

"I don't think that I'm fighting anyone's battle. I think that I am giving justice where justice is due. You don't deserve to be treated the way he has treated you in the past. The same goes for Leonard, Howard and Raj."

"So, you'd do this for any of us?"  
"Of course. I consider you all of you to be my friends now."

She waited for Sheldon to respond, but his stare never left the front window. Apparently, there was nothing left to say. Amy waited a second more to see if things would change, but they didn't and she forced herself to smile and walk towards the theater.

* * *

"You want anything? I'm wunning to get a pwetzel," Barry whispered to Amy while the movie boomed in the background.

"No, thank you. Are you sure you want to go now? The lines looked pretty long when we came in. You'll miss half the movie."

"I know, but I'm stawving," Barry said and cradled his stomach.

"Okay, but hurry back. I'll miss you," Amy whispered with a sweet smile.

"I'ww miss you more."

In a blink of an eye, Barry was gone and she was left alone with her thoughts again. She couldn't blame it on her apartment this time. And although the movie was doing its best to distract her, its best simply was not good enough. She couldn't stop thinking of Sheldon.

He obviously wanted to see this movie. He came all the way here to see this movie, and then suddenly decided it wasn't to his liking? She couldn't help but feel that his absence was related to her. Amy wasn't one to jump to conclusions, especially conclusions that involved a man changing his plans simply on account of her presence. But was she wrong?

That was the true question. Was she wrong about Sheldon Cooper? Was she wrong about his motives, his flaws, his desires? She could ask the question any way she liked, but the truth was—only Sheldon could answer it.

* * *

It was surprising to her that in less than one hour, the temperature could drop so drastically. She buttoned the top button of her cardigan and walked to the parking spot where she knew she'd find Sheldon. She desperately chased her thoughts and emotions, trying to line them up neatly before speaking to him, but it was no use. She didn't know what she wanted to say and she didn't know why she felt the urge to say it. But something needed to be said.

She peeked into the window to see Sheldon gripping his thin windbreaker in an attempt to keep warm. She tapped on the window gently.

And this time he rolled down the window.

"Hi," she said. "I feel like we keep misunderstanding each other. Did I do something to upset you?"

But Sheldon simply looked at her with the eyes of a man who had built his emotional walls high enough to keep out any invader foolish enough to attempt to climb them.

"It just seems like," she continued, "you don't like me. And I don't know why."

"I don't dislike you, Amy Farrah Fowler," he said.

"Then what is it? I mean, I feel like I've been perfectly nice to you, and you can't go so far as to say hello to me without an attitude." She stopped herself from getting too upset. This was a man she barely knew after all. It wasn't worth fighting over. "I know that you and Barry have had your problems in the past, but does that really mean that you and I can't even be civil towards each other?"

Sheldon wasn't prepared to say what he was about to say, but controlling these kinds of emotions was new to him. He never could have anticipated the magnitude of their power.

"My problem is simple. Kripke is my mortal enemy. That makes you an accomplice to my mortal enemy, but that has nothing to do with our civility or lack thereof. Your problem is the cause of all of this."

Amy instantly became defensive. Was this socially crippled, arrogant physicist really attempting to psychoanalyze her?

"Excuse me?"

"It's simple," Sheldon started. "You have no respect for anything in your life."

"You don't even know me," she said with a slightly raised voice.

"I've seen enough to know that you don't respect yourself."

"And how do you know that?"

"You let Kripke treat you the same way he treats me, Leonard and all the others. You let him disrespect you time and time again, and yet you feel the need to fight for _US_ to be treated better. But you can't fight for yourself. You're weak, Amy Farrah Fowler."

"You have no right to say that. You're the biggest ass I've ever met, and you're lecturing me about how I treat people and allow people to treat me? You have a lot of nerve."

He simmered over her words, knowing fully that he wasn't saying what he truly wanted to say. "Can I ask you a question?" he finally whispered.

"I don't think you deserve to, but since I'm a nice person, I'll let you have one question."

"Are you happy?"

Amy felt as if she'd been hit by a bus. Of all the questions he could ask, he asked that? The very question she'd avoided at all costs. Her eyes began to fill with tears, but there was no way in hell that she was going to let him see her cry.

"I'm very happy," she whispered.

Whatever he lacked in social tact and emotional detection simply didn't matter now. He knew she was lying. Lying like she had been since they met.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow," Amy finally said when she realized that Sheldon wasn't going to respond. "And I won't worry about continuing this bizarre friendship with you. I won't treat last night like it was anything but commonplace. And I will happily enjoy the company of your mortal enemy, Barry Kripke, who just happens to be the best boyfriend I've ever had."

"Bizarre friendship?" Sheldon asked while opening the car door and stepping out. "We are not friends. Nor will we ever be. You think that because we shared a silent car ride that we're friends? You think that because Seibert gave us some ridiculous assignment that we're friends? You think that because we texted one another during the night that we're friends? Well, you're wrong, Amy. We're not friends."

For some bizarre reason, all of his words faded away when she heard him talk of the texting. "You texted me back?" she asked.

But what she didn't know was that he _had_ texted her back, over and over again. But he never sent them.

"I won't be at work tomorrow," he continued.

"Why?" She felt her heart pounding faster. With anger, frustration, excitement, infatuation? She didn't know.

"I will be filling out that resignation form."

"I see," Amy said softly. She couldn't explain why those words seemed to melt straight into her bones. She'd probably never see him again. Was that a bad thing?

She turned and began to walk towards the theater entrance. Barry would be on his way back with his pretzel, and she wanted to be in her seat before he returned.

"And, Amy," Sheldon called.

"Yes?"

"I owe you a genuine apology."

Amy turned towards him. "Why?"

"I called you the accomplice of my mortal enemy. I apologize for that because it implies that I harbor some sort of resentment towards you." He paused. "And that's not true."

Amy let out a simple sigh of relief, but the look on Sheldon's face told her that maybe it was premature.

"The truth is—you mean nothing to me."

Amy pulled her cardigan close and desperately tried to hide the small part of her heart that had just died. She turned and walked towards the entrance only to find that the jumbo screen showed no mercy towards her, flashing its brightest light on every tear that streamed down her face.

* * *

_**I promise that things will get better for the Shamy :)**_


	12. Coalescence

_**Coalescence: the union of diverse things into one body or form**_

He hadn't planned it, and up until twelve hours ago, he would have considered it unthinkable. But things had changed.

Sheldon was turning in his resignation.

Knock knock knock, "President Seibert." Knock knock knock, "President Seibert." Knock knock knock, "President Seibert."

Sheldon stood in Seibert's doorway, trying desperately to keep the resignation form from shaking in his nervousness. "I'm here to give you my resignation," Sheldon finally stuttered.

Seibert pulled his glasses off and reached for the form. Sheldon handed it to him in surprise. That's it? There was no good luck speech? No goodbye party? Just a silent departure?

Seibert reviewed the paper before pulling a stamp from his top desk drawer and pounding a blood red symbol across the form. He handed it back to Sheldon, slipped his glasses back onto his nose and went back to work. Apparently goodbye parties weren't in the budget.

Sheldon swallowed while lifting a trembling hand towards the form. But the blood read stain that made its home near his signature said something he never expected. "Denied?"

"Yes," Seibert said without raising his eyes.

"But..." Sheldon paused and looked at the stain once more. "I don't understand."

Seibert sighed and stood up to talk to Sheldon like a man. "You're not resigning, Dr. Cooper."

"Of course I am," Sheldon yelped. "That's why I took the time to fill out this ridiculous form."

"Really?" Seibert answered. "Where are you going to go?"

"I haven't figured that out yet. But any university would be lucky to have Sheldo…"

"There isn't a university left in the United States that would hire you after the stunts you've pulled here. I'll see to that." Sheldon had never seen Seibert act so seriously.

"Then I'll do my research on my own. I don't need to be a part of any establishment."

"And fund it how? You haven't raised a dime in your life."

"I'll find a way," Sheldon said and looked away. He knew Seibert was right, but he certainly had no intention of admitting it.

"No," Seibert said and sat behind his desk. "You will continue your work here. You will attend the auction next week. You will work alongside Dr. Fowler and you will bring in the necessary funds to make your research and this university a success."

Sheldon wasn't sure how to respond. Part of him was furious that someone as impotent as Seibert was attempting to put him in his place. And another part of him was incredibly relieved.

Sheldon finally decided that no response was necessary. He carried his blood-stained paper and broken pride out the door.

Seibert could hear the form being torn to pieces.

* * *

His office was cold. They never did fix the thermostat issue like they promised, but somehow it was fitting. Sheldon tried to concentrate on his work, but too much had happened over the last few days. He simply couldn't concentrate.

He tried to ignore the aching in his stomach, but knew this emotion all too well. He knew how persistent it could be—how heartless. And today he didn't even put up a fight. Loneliness—1. Sheldon Cooper—0.

He didn't believe in a deity, but he was sure there had to be some devilish being at play when he couldn't shake the thought of Amy's hands—delicate, strong, with fingernails chewed to the skin. The tips of her fingers gently caressing his back, telling him he wasn't alone.

But the devilish being hadn't had his fun yet. Sheldon could hear the gentle resonance of her laugh, sweeping and swinging through his ears, growing louder and louder until he realized that she was walking passed his office door.

He immediately grabbed a marker and attempted to look busy. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction. He was a genius. His work was serious.

Amy's face swept past the open doorway. Her eyes met Sheldon's and they were locked in a brief embrace when he noticed that her arm was draped across another man, Barry Kripke.

Amy took one last glance at Sheldon before squeezing Barry with all her might. Sheldon bit the inside of his lip and continued his ruse of being deep in though.

Karma truly was the B word.

* * *

"Oh, I don't think we should," Amy said to Bernadette.

"Come on! We can talk girl talk. Barry can play video games with the guys," Bernadette answered while sitting in Amy's apartment after a long day's work.

"I don't know."

"Please? I really want to hang out with everyone before I leave tomorrow."

"How long will you be gone, anyway?"

"Just a few days, but I'm going to be all by myself aside from my boss, and she's a total bitch."

"Well, what do you think?" Amy said to Barry who was fixing drinks in the kitchen.

Barry swallowed his pride and smiled at Amy. "Sounds gweat!'

Amy looked back at Bernadette, "Okay, I guess we'll be there. What time?"

"Actually, I'm heading there now."

"Oh, okay. Should we bring anything?"

"No, Penny took care of everything. It's just a simple little going away party."

"Okay, we'll follow you. You ready?" she said to Kripke.

He swallowed his entire drink in one swift gulp. "Absowutewy."

* * *

That spot on his neck was hot again, an unforgiving heat that made him lose track of time. He reached for his assortment of creams knowing all too well that no topical solution could cure the parasite lurking within him. He splashed a handful of cool water across his face, avoiding any contact with his other self in the mirror. There was no hiding anymore. He knew what to call the emotions now.

Sheldon Cooper was attracted to Amy Farrah Fowler.

And he knew that she was just outside his bathroom door, kissing and hugging her boyfriend, living completely free of the curse of this unrequited love. How could he have let himself grow so weak? How could he have fallen subject to such a primitive desire?

But there was no use stewing and questioning. These emotions were here to stay. He gently opened the bathroom door and faced his fate for the very first time. And what a disgusting sight it was.

"So, who's up for a little Halo?" Leonard said while sitting in his designated chair.

"Why don't we play something that we can all participate in?" Penny said, feeling irritated at the idea of the guys spending another evening playing video games while she and Bernadette deteriorated in the background. "How about Pictionary?"

"I actually think Sheldon burnt it in the dumpster outside after the last time we played," Leonard replied.

"You'll never know," Sheldon said and forced himself to sit on the couch in the spot that he once called home.

"What about beer pong?" Penny asked.

Leonard looked at her over the tops of his glasses.

"Fine. Fine. I know. Sheldon doesn't drink," she whined.

"Well," Amy said softly. "Why not something like Trivial Pursuit or Bezzerwizzer?"

"No good," Leonard said quickly.

"Why not?" Amy asked and glanced at the others in the room.

"We can only play trivia games once with Sheldon."

"What do you mean? Why?" She looked at Sheldon out of reflex, but she hated herself for it. She couldn't give him the satisfaction after the way he spoke to her the other night. But what did he say that was so wrong? That she meant nothing to him? So what? They were practically strangers.

"He has an eidetic memory."

And within seconds, the words had dissolved into Amy's brain, igniting every neural pathway. The neurobiologist was in the presence of one of the most phenomenal wonders of the human condition and couldn't bring herself to say a single word.

"I think that's totaw cwap," Barry interrupted. "I've nevew seen him do anything that pwoved he has a photogwaphic memowy."

"Try living with him," Leonard mumbled.

"It's not a photographic memory. It's an eidetic memory," Sheldon corrected.

Kripke sat forward on the couch to see Sheldon's face. "Pwove it," he said with an impish grin.

"I have nothing to prove to you, Kripke."

"You scawed to make an even biggew foow of youwself than you do at wowk?"

Sheldon purposely looked at Amy's eyes, wanting to throw her words back into her face. Kripke hadn't changed. He would never change.

"Just do it, Sheldon, so we can move on," Leonard said.

"Fine, what do you suggest?"

"You have thiwty seconds to wead an entiwe page of a book and wecite it back," Kripke said as if he'd thought about it before.

"But I've read everything here," Sheldon answered.

Kripke looked around the room and remembered where he could find a book. "I know," he said and began to rummage through Amy's purse. "She's awways got some stupid book in hewe."

Amy tried to save her purse from the hands of her beloved boyfriend, but it was lost. Barry pulled a tattered book from the side pocket and handed it to Sheldon.

Sheldon gripped the binding and looked at the title, _Anna Karenina_. The pages were worn and stained as if she'd read it a thousand times. He pressed his fingers along the edges, wanting to feel what she had felt.

"What page?" Sheldon asked in case Kripke had something in particular in mind.

"Just wead whatever she's got mawked."

"No, wait," Amy said quickly and reached for the book, but Barry held her down and waived Sheldon on.

He opened the book to the designated page and noticed that a particular passage was highlighted in fresh ink. His eyes swept over the words before watching Amy's face as she hung her head low.

"Huwwy up, Coopew. Onwy got thiwty seconds."

Sheldon handed the book back to Barry. "I don't need thirty seconds," he said.

"Weww, get to it then."

It was a strange sensation, being put on display for his intellect. Sheldon always thought he enjoyed being revered, but today it felt so much different. He felt like the bearded lady, cringing and cowering inside as people paid money to stare into her fish bowl.

But he wasn't alone. Amy sat on the couch in silent suffering, like a tree that'd been stripped of its bark. She waited patiently for the rain to rinse her wounds.

Sheldon shifted in his seat, knowing that his time had come. "And though she felt sure that his love for her was waning," he started. "There was nothing she could do, she could not in any way alter her relations with him. Just as before, only by love and by charm could she keep him. And so, just as before, only by occupation in the day, by morphine at night, could she stifle the fearful thought of what would be if he ceased to love her."

"Bowed!" Barry shouted. "Wet's pway Hawo."

Everyone agreed, even Penny and Bernadette who were strangely looking forward to a rousing game of Halo.

Sheldon sat back in his seat to be pleasantly surprised by the warmth of Amy's thigh along his. And together they sat as the others ate, drank and played video games into the night. Neither moved, nor spoke, nor dared to breathe, else someone might notice that they'd refused to break from each other's touch.

The hours blurred together before Sheldon finally pushed his hand slowly into his pocket, gently running his fingers against her leg while reaching for his phone.

Amy's heartbeat raced as she watched his hands tremble over the touch screen. Moments later she felt a vibration from her purse. She'd received a text message.

"I'm glad I'm not alone."


	13. Illumination

_**Illumination: spiritual or intellectual enlightenment**_

"You haven't even started?" Seibert fumed at the pathetic sight of Amy and Sheldon.

"Well, I can't speak for Dr. Cooper, but I'm not really sure how to go about it. I don't really know many people at the university yet," Amy said in her defense.

Seibert nodded his head in disbelief. "And what's your excuse, Dr. Cooper?"

"I don't want to do it," Sheldon replied bluntly.

"Let me explain this further to both of you. Just because I won't accept your resignations does not mean that I can't make your lives here at Caltech very miserable. Make this work."

Amy and Sheldon looked at one another. This assignment was completely out of their comfort zone.

* * *

Barry and Amy ate lunch in the cafeteria, giggling and talking about anything and everything. On the outside they looked like the ideal couple, but if anyone looked closely, they would see that Amy's eyes followed Sheldon with perfect precision.

It was a subtle sort of code that had developed all on its own. They'd sat in the same lunchroom enough times to anticipate each other's moves. Sheldon knew that she was in the habit of looking up after every third bite. When she realized he was watching, she saved each glance for him.

Sheldon even had gone so far as to vary his routine. Normally, he would gather all of his lunchroom supplies before sitting down to eat, but not anymore. Although the napkin dispenser was near his table, he still needed two forks, a bottle of water, and wet wipe. That was four trips past her table. Four trips where he could inhale her scent. Four trips where he would let his pants gently brush along the backside of her blouse. And four trips where he would secretly employ the use of mind control to make Kripke choke on his food.

But no one was looking closely, especially not Barry. He loved Amy, and he was sure that she loved him too. And despite his occasional bouts of jealousy, he never would have suspected that Sheldon Cooper was capable of wooing a woman.

But what he didn't know—was that the wooing had already taken place.

* * *

It was an annoying little tick-tock of a clock, tapping away in the back of her mind. It was loudest in the night when the waking world had ceased to distract her. No one likes the sensation of guilt, and Amy was beginning to grow weak under its weight. She reminded herself that she hadn't done anything—that this faceless monster had no right to prey on her in the night, but then she counted how many times she had thought of Barry throughout the day. Not many. Not nearly enough to call herself a loving, devoted girlfriend. But was that really a sign of impending infidelity?

And then she counted how many times she'd thought of Sheldon that day. Hoo…

"So, what awe you gonna wear?" Barry asked as he attempted to juggle oranges in Amy's living room. It was the first time all week that they had an opportunity to spend a moment alone together. It felt nice to simply relax in each other's company and let the fences fall. Well, it would have if she hadn't been too submerged in her thoughts to notice.

"Huh?" she replied when she realized that Barry's voice wasn't merely an echo from the TV, but rather a living, breathing being addressing her directly.

"The auction. What awe you gonna wear? You think Seibewt would be pissed if I came dwessed as Spidewman?"

"Oh," Amy whispered as she did all in her power to gather herself. "I don't know."

"You okay?"

Amy glanced around the room, surprised to find that she was in her apartment and not spinning and whirling in a never-ending vortex of infatuation. "Yes," she said firmly. "Everything's fine."

"You wanna go as Spidewman?"

Amy knew he was trying to make her laugh, and much to her relief, he'd succeeded. "Barry?" she said softly and started to walk towards him. "There's something really important I need to tell you."

"Okay," he answered as he attempted to catch the flying oranges.

"Well…" She felt her mouth go dry. Was she really ready to tell him this? Was this the right time and place? Would he cause a scene? Do men do that? "As you know, I did as you asked and I kept an eye on Sheldon at the fundraiser."

"Wight?"

"Well, it didn't go very well."

"Yeah, I know," Barry replied and began to juggle the oranges again. "Seibewt told me aww about it."

"Oh," Amy answered breathlessly. "And what else did he tell you?"She hadn't expected this, but then again, she hadn't planned it either. How much did Barry know? Did he know about the texts? The drive home? The stint on the couch last night?

"Just that you and Coopew were gonna make it up to him. Said you were pawtners."

"Yes, well, about that…" She paused."That's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about."

"I'm wistening."

"It would appear that Sheldon, I mean Dr. Cooper, and I are…" She felt herself fumbling for the right words. Her face was growing flushed. "What I mean to say is that he and I are together…"

"You okay, Amy? You wook awful," he said and put the oranges down.

"I think I'm just coming down with something," she answered as she fanned herself and cringed at the irony.

"So, what's this about you and the wobot?"

She focused on each individual word, sounding them out phonetically as if she were still in elementary school. Why was she so fucking nervous? SHE'D DONE NOTHING WRONG!"Sheldon and I have been assigned to persuade every available faculty member into participating in the auction."

"So. Most of us awe alweady pawticipating. We've aww made donations and contwibutions. You know I'm making my famous wum cake."

"Not like that," Amy corrected. "Seibert wants every faculty member to be a part of the auction. Meaning, he wants to auction off people. Us. All of us."

"I don't undewstand."

"He wants all of us to auction off an entire day of our time to whoever might want it. That means anyone interested in our research, in a romantic date, in a drive home, whatever. It doesn't matter. And it's up to Sheldon and I to convince everyone to participate or life at the university will become rather—dicey for us."

"So, you're saying that I don't even have a choice?"

"Well, you do, but…" she started.

"Bwing on the wadies!" Barry shouted. "They are gonna wine up for a date with me. I can't wait to show up aww those other wosers."

"Well, remember it can be anyone bidding on you—not just a secret admirer. I was sort of hoping that I would win that day with you. I've been tucking away some money."

Barry's face fell back to reality. "Oh, wight wight."

"Anyway," Amy said with a sigh. "It's up to me and Sheldon to convince the entire faculty by next week and it's proving to be quite a daunting task."

"I'm sure you'll do gweat," Barry replied and kissed her on the head with a giddy sort of grin. "Oh, hey!" he said.

"What?"

"I fowgot to tell you, but I have some news too."

Amy listened closely as if he were about to lift her spirits with some wonderful tidbit.

"I have to weave for Ohio again tomowwow mowning."

"What?" Amy said curtly. She felt herself filling with anger and frustration. She told herself that it was because Barry had waited so long to tell her and that he hadn't given one single thought as to her feelings about it all. But deep inside she knew she was angry, frustrated and terrified to spend time alone with her guilt—and Sheldon. "You can't leave. You just got back."

"I know. And I'm sowwy, but you don't have to worry. I'll be home in pwenty of time for the auction. I will gwadwy be participating so you can knock off one wecruit from your wist, and after this quick twip, we can be together. My mom just reawwy needs the help wight now."

"Take me with you," Amy pleaded. She couldn't be alone with Sheldon, working long hours, side-by-side. She simply couldn't do it.

"You know I can't do that. It's a famiwy cwisis. It's reawwy not the time to be intwoducing them aww to my girlfwiend."

"You don't have to introduce me. I will just wait at the hotel for you and we can spend time together while everyone else sleeps. Please…" Her voice fell to a whisper. "Don't leave me alone here."

"Oh, sweetheawt," Barry said and put his arm around her. "You're not awone. You've got fwiends now. You've got Bewnadette and Penny. Hell, you've even got Sheldon and his pack of wetawds."

Yes, she had Sheldon. She had too much of Sheldon. His text, his touch, his eidetic memory. She'd had all she could handle of Sheldon and desperately needed a release.

"It's onwy two days. We'll text aww day and Skype evewy night. Evewything will be fine, and then we can have a fantastic night at the auction."

Amy let her eyes close. "If that's what you think is best."

* * *

"So, how many names have your crossed off?" Amy asked Sheldon as they sat side-by-side in his office.

Sheldon pretended to flip through the blank pages in his folder before turning to her. "Why don't you start?"

"Well, I got all of the geology department."

"Suckers. They'd do anything for a pretty face."

Wait. Pause. Stop. Sheldon continued to speak, but Amy was nowhere to be found. Did he just say she had a pretty face? Several minutes passed, and Amy was still sipping happily on her ovary-secreted goofy juice.

"…and that's how I will inevitably win the Nobel Prize." Sheldon finished.

But Amy hadn't heard a thing.

"Are you even listening?" Sheldon asked while waving a hand in front of her face.

"Of course I am," she answered.

"Then what did I say?"

"You said…" She waited a moment to analyze everything that she may have heard subconsciously.

Nope. Nothing. Damnit.

"It looks like you've been caught red handed, Dr. Fowler. It would appear that you are perfectly suited for that buffoon, Kripke."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Barry is a genius!" She felt herself growing very defensive. Barry may not be perfect, but he was still her boyfriend and didn't deserve to be ridiculed.

"Hardly," Sheldon laughed. "He'll never make any sort of breakthrough with the work he's been submitting."

"I seem to remember that it was his grant proposal that was chosen. Not yours."

Sheldon's face grew very serious. She could tell that she'd dug the nail into the most tender part of him. The muscles in his jaw began to quiver. "Kripke's research was wrong."

"You are so jealous and childish," Amy said while shaking in her head.

"First," Sheldon started and stood to his feet, "Jealousy would imply that I covet something owned or possessed by Kripke. This is not the case. And second, if I were a child, I wouldn't be capable of proving that his research is wrong."

"You really expect me to believe that his research was wrong? That all those people who reviewed his proposal magically missed his errors?"

"You'd believe it if you were smart."

"You are so arrogant." And all at once she remembered why she was disgusted by Sheldon in the first place. He could never be happy for anyone else. He had to drag everyone down just so he could come out on top. He simply couldn't admit that Barry was the better physicist.

Amy stood to leave, but just as her purse swung over her shoulder, Sheldon grabbed her arm.

"I assume you have a working knowledge of physics. Let me show you."

This had to be a joke. Did he really expect to prove Kripke wrong? In front of his girlfriend?

But Amy looked at his face. He was serious.

"Wouldn't that take a while?" she said while looking at the forceful grip Sheldon held her with.

"Not if you're a quick study. Shouldn't take more than a couple hours. It's not like we were making progress with the auction."

Amy nodded in agreement and Sheldon's marker began to cover the white board in a map of determination. Amy inhaled and gripped the sides of her seat.

* * *

"Oh, my god," she whispered after nearly four hours of following complex equations. "I can't believe it."

Sheldon watched her move closer to the board and touch it with her fingertips as if she were saying goodbye to an old friend. "He was wrong," she mumbled to herself.

"And aside from myself, you're the first person to acknowledge this," Sheldon said while putting the cap back on his favorite blue marker.

"What do you mean?"

"I've brought this to the attention of the grant committee, the board members, and even Seibert himself."

"You obviously didn't try hard enough. Anyone could see that this was wrong."

Sheldon sat behind his desk to open his laptop. With a simple click, he opened his email and turned the screen for her to see. 1377 emails sent to President Seibert with the subject line: _Kripke was Wrong._

"And no one listened?"

Sheldon closed his laptop and walked close to her. "According to Seibert, none of the emails were even opened. They're not interested."

Amy scanned his office, the office of a man who clearly had dedicated his entire life to the advancement of physics. And that man had been slapped in the face by a university which claimed to be dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.

And part of her was ready to hit back.

* * *

**I would like to give another big shout out to CaitAmber for her amazing mastery of Kripke's speech impediment! You rock, sista! Chapter 14 in the works :)**


	14. Discretion

**I'm sorry the chapter is so short, but I really felt that it needed to stand alone. The next chapter will be quite eventful, and this didn't quite fit. I need to thank CaitAmber again for saving me countless hours of scrutinizing Barry's speech impediment. I would be lost without you, my dear. **

**And I recently had a chapter dedicated to me by a fellow author-an honor that I don't take lightly. And as much as I would love to return he favor, I just don't think anyone wants this chapter dedicated to them lol. So, I will save that for another day. In the mean time, I would like to offer a simple, humble thank you to Amanda for being a fantastic reader, follower, reviewer and now friend. Cheers!**

* * *

_**Discretion: **__**the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information**_

Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Every time she felt she had her feet firmly planted, the rug was pulled out from under her once again. She wasn't sure of anything. She wasn't sure how she felt about Sheldon. She wasn't sure how she felt about Barry. And the most frightening realization of all was that she wasn't sure how she felt about herself. She'd thought and felt so many different things in the last few weeks that she hardly recognized herself in the mirror each morning.

She couldn't go on like this. Living two separate lives. Waiting for someone or something to take over while she slipped into the passenger seat.

"Do you have everything you need?" Amy asked as he stood in line to board the plane.

"Wet's hope so," Barry answered.

"You look so happy. I hope it's not because you're going away," Amy said softly.

"I hate weaving you. But a part of me has been anticipating this twip for a wong time."

"I don't understand."

"I don't expect you to wight now. But this twip is reawy important to me. It's just something I need to do."

"Why do I feel like you're not just leaving to go help your mom?"

Barry remained silent and looked at her with eyes filled with fire. He loved her. He wanted their lives to be perfect, and he now knew he was willing to do anything to make that happen.

"Wook," he said, "I need you to wisten while I still have some time to talk, and I need you to bewieve evewything I'm about to tell you."

Amy nodded her head while staring into his eyes. For the first time in quite a while, he was the man she had fallen in love with. The strong, passionate, beautiful man that made her love living each day. "Okay," she whispered.

"I've wanted to tell you this fowever, but I wanted to make sure you were absowutewy certain of my sincewity. And I know I haven't shown you the care and considewation you deserve watewy, but I'm showing it now. You awe beautiful, Amy Fawah Fowwer. You're smart and cawing and funny in your own way. You're evewything I've ever wanted in a woman. You make me have faith in myself—that I can change who I used to be and be the man you've waited for. I want to thank you for that. I want to thank you for your patience and undewstanding. And more than anything I want to tell you this…" He waited a moment to catch his breath. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them gently. "I wove you, Amy. And I'm in wove with you. Compwetewy."

Amy felt as if a bus had hit her in the street, backed over her lifeless body again and again, and honked in triumph as it drove away. If her life were to flash before her eyes the way they claim, she would have seen nothing but the weak and pathetic misgivings of a horrible girlfriend. If hell existed, she was sure to have a sequestered little corner with her name on it. How could she ever live with herself after he had made such a beautiful confession?  
Her eyes began to puddle with tears and her throat tightened into a fist of guilt-ridden anguish. All this time she was so busy pointing fingers at Barry's faults and failings to see that she was practically sprinting down a two way street.

"Amy?"

"I'm sorry," she said and wiped her tears from under her glasses. "It was just so beautiful and unexpected. It caught me off guard. I'm sorry for being so emotional."

"Don't be," he said and pulled her into their second hug. This time she didn't hesitate to return it. "Don't evew be ashamed to show your emotions. This is the start of our wife together."

His words only made her cry harder, covering his shirt in a salty saturation. Whether they were tears of joy or sadness didn't really make a difference. They were closer than they'd ever been.

* * *

"That's it! That's every name on the list!" Amy threw her arms in the air and did a simple dance of happiness around Sheldon's office. They did it. They managed to convince the entire faculty to participate in the fundraiser. And they did it when no one believed they could.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Dr. Fowler," Sheldon said with a simple bow as if they'd just received a round of applause. Which, in a way, they did. Their own applause.

"Why thank you, good sir!" Amy replied in kind. It was a good day.

Amy hadn't heard from Barry too much since his flight the day before, but she was so busy that she hardly had time to notice. Her first, nearly-impossible deadline as the biology department head had been met, and she felt fucking great.

"It's pizza night at our place," Sheldon said while typing the news into an email for President Seibert. "If you're interested, that is."

Amy was suddenly ripped from her giddy weightlessness above the clouds and thrown back to reality. The same daunting situation sat before her in a brilliant horse-drawn carriage with an outstretched hand, but this time was had to be different. She had to close that door to that carriage and send the temptation on its way.

Tonight she would dine alone. She would think alone. She would watch TV alone, and when the time came-she would sleep alone. That was the fate she deserved.

"Thank you, but I think I will be staying home tonight. Barry and I have a Skype date at 8:30."

Sheldon looked up from his laptop and uttered a simple "Oh" to show his acknowledgement. But secretly he was kicking himself in the gut. How could he have been so naïve as to think that because he had proven Kripke wrong, that Amy would somehow just swoon into his arms? Maybe she wasn't dating him for his intellect. Maybe she was dating him because she truly cared for him.

And that simple thought made Sheldon sick to his stomach. He had so many things he wanted to say to her. Wicked, honest, and hurtful things that would shine a light on all of her mistakes.

But he didn't.

He wouldn't.

He couldn't.

Not to her. Not to someone who he had grown so fond of. He wanted her happiness more than anything, and for the first time in his life, he put the needs of another human being before his own. "I'm truly happy for both of you," he whispered and continued to tap away at the keyboard.

* * *

She sipped the piping hot tea into her mouth, bathing and swooning in its medicinal powers, letting it wash away all that had clouded her mind before. And she sat—in silence. No book, no TV, no cell phone. She was alone with her thoughts for the first time in months, and she felt as if she could finally keep her head above water. Barry would be calling at any moment and she longed to put an end to the day with the sound of his voice.

And just as she began to let herself fall asleep, the Skype jingle chimed. She leapt from the couch, spilling hot tea on her lap but completely disregarding the pain, and flipped her laptop open.

"Oh, my god! You have no idea how happy I am to see your face," she said.

But Barry didn't look quite as happy to see hers. In fact, he couldn't even bring himself to look toward the camera. His face was covered in steaks of mud, and from what she could tell—tears.

"Barry? What's wrong?"

He still didn't reply, but she noticed that when his body swayed from side to side, she could see the glimmer of an empty Vodka bottle on the bed behind him.

"Are you drunk?" she asked.

"No," he said quietly before running his fingers through his hair and letting out a sigh.

"Is it your dad?"

Barry began to cry while cradling his face in his hands.

"Barry, please talk to me!"

"No, I'm not dwunk, Amy," he said and looked directly into the camera. His eyes were red and his face was covered in dirt and ash.

"I'm sowwy," he whispered.


	15. Revelation

_**Revelation: the making known of a secret**_

"Barry, what's going on?" Amy said while trying to keep him focused.

"It's ovew," he said with his head still buried in his hands.

"What's over? What are you talking about?" Amy shouted into the computer.

But when Barry finally looked coherent enough to answer, she saw the smoke creep in. A thick, smothering smoke.

"Barry?"

Amy watched the clouds claw at Barry's shoulders, wrapping him in their spell.

"Barry, please talk to me. Where are you?"

Barry looked directly into the camera. Amy could see the beads of sweat pooling on his face. "It was a mistake," he said. "It was aww a mistake."

The walls had disappeared along with the image of the disheveled bed. All that was left was a faint image of his face, but the smoke would wait for no one.

"What was a mistake? Barry, tell me where you are!" Amy shouted close to the microphone.

"I'm sowwy, Amy."

She squinted with all her might, but that was it. He was gone.

* * *

"Have any of you heard from Barry?" Amy said as she rushed into work.

"We're not in the habit of chatting," Leonard answered.

"This isn't a joke," Amy said and stared at Leonard.

"Sorry. Everything okay?"

"Obviously not. He's in trouble and I can't get a hold of him."

"Did you try his cell?" Raj asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Amy said impatiently as she pawed though her purse for Barry's mother's home phone number. She'd never spoken to her, but there was a first time for everything.

Sheldon watched her closely, hoping she wouldn't find the paper—and praying that she would. "Here," he said and grabbed Amy's keys to unlock her office for her.

"Thank you," she answered while keeping her eyes on her purse. "I know I have his mom's number in here somewhere."

"Would it be anywhere else?" Sheldon asked. He hated seeing her like this—in pain.

"I don't know," she said and started to cry. "Maybe in the desk."

Sheldon rushed to the desk drawers and began to look.

"Is Barry hurt?" Leonard asked.

"I don't know," Amy said and fell to her knees, letting the purse drift to the floor—the contents spilling along the carpet. "I don't know anything, and I can't find the fucking phone number."

"Is this it?" Sheldon said and ran towards her. "Andrea Kripke?"

"Oh, my god," Amy sighed and snatched the number as quickly as possible. She dialed the numbers incorrectly three times because she couldn't stop her hands from shaking.

"I'll do it," Sheldon said and gently pulled the phone from her hands. He dialed the numbers precisely and handed it back to her. "It's ringing."

"Yes, hello," Amy said breathlessly into the receiver. "Is this Andrea, Barry's mom?"

"_Who is this_?" the woman said.

"This is Amy Farrah Fowler."

"_Who?"_

"Amy Farrah Fowler, his girlfriend?"

"_I didn't know he had a girlfriend. Did you know Barry had a girlfriend, Ed?" _she called to someone else in the room.

"Ed?" Amy said in shock. "Your husband is home with you? He's not in the hospital?"

"_Why on earth would he be in the hospital?"_

Amy's body began to shake. Her entire world was falling apart and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"He didn't have a stroke?"

"_Who? Ed? No, sweetie, he's as healthy as a horse_." The woman laughed, completely unaware of Amy's distress.

"Well, can you at least tell me where Barry is?"

"_I'm sorry, hun. We haven't seen him in almost six months_."

"But he told me he was going to Ohio to see you."

The woman on the other end said nothing. A miserable, suffocating sound that wrapped tightly around Amy's heart and squeezed with all its might.

"_We live in Florida, honey. I'm sorry._"

Amy dropped the phone at her side and fell limp just in time for Sheldon to catch her.

He wanted to say something to her, anything. But what could be said? He gently stroked her hair and held her on the floor of her office—the pictures on the wall blinked and whispered at the tragedy.

* * *

"The auction is tonight. Is she going?" Bernadette asked Howard while they ate dinner together.

"I don't know. Somehow I don't think so. She was really upset," Howard said.

"I tried calling and texting her, but no response. I guess I expected that. I just feel so bad for her."

"Me too. And I hardly know her. I've never seen someone cry like that. Made me feel weird inside, like I had just lost a family member or something."

"So, what happened exactly?"

"I only heard bits and pieces, but it sounds like Barry may have lied about quite a few things."

"That's awful. She doesn't deserve that."

"No one deserves what I saw her go through."

"Is she still looking for him?"

"I think so."

"What is wrong with her?" Bernadette asked while raising her voice.

"She loves him."

* * *

"Do you think you're okay to be left alone?" Leonard asked as he and Sheldon helped Amy up the stairs to her apartment.

"I'll be fine," she answered.

"We're happy to stay," Sheldon said while she clutched firmly to his arm.

"No, thank you," she said. "I wouldn't want to take advantage of your time."

"Take advantage of our time?" Sheldon said and stopped walking. He turned to look her in the eye. "Do you honestly think you're taking advantage of anything right now? Our time is a small price to pay to make sure you're safe."

But the tone of his voice made her burst into tears all over again.

"I'm staying with her," Sheldon said to Leonard. "She shouldn't be left alone."

Leonard nodded his head in agreement and they carried Amy up the last flight of stairs.

* * *

"You've hardly touched your dinner," Sheldon said as he removed Amy's zebra-print apron from his waist. "You really should eat something."

"No, thank you," Amy whispered and curled herself more tightly into the corner of the couch.

"Maybe I could make you some tea?"

"Nothing, please. I just really want to be left alone."

Sheldon was beginning to feel out of place. He knew he didn't belong anymore, but there were still things that needed to be done. He grabbed a rag and began to clean the kitchen. He'd cooked her a chicken pot pie from scratch. His Meemaw always told him that homemade pot pie could cure anything.

Meemaw was wrong.

"Are you going tonight?" Sheldon said softly over the counter.

"I don't think so."

"But we worked so hard to get everyone involved. You want to just throw that all away?"

"Who cares," she mumbled.

"What about Seibert?"

"It doesn't matter now."

He turned the knob to the faucet to get the hot water running for the dishes, hoping that maybe the sound would drown out his next question, making it more digestible.

"What about me?" he asked.

Amy sighed and pulled a blanket around her shoulders, hiding herself away in a world of her own creation. "I think you should just go," she said.

Sheldon turned off the water and looked at her. "But I still need to…"

"Just leave it," Amy said. "Please."

Sheldon stood at the counter, battling with his inner self. Should he leave her alone? Would she be safe? Would he see her again after this? Would he see her smile again?

"Go, now!" Amy said.

He grabbed his jacket and walked towards the door. His steps never made a sound, and he left without saying a word.

* * *

"I don't think she'll be there," Leonard said to Penny as they added the final touches to their outfits for the auction.

"Did you try to convince her?"

"I did what I could," Leonard answered, "But I hardly know her. Sheldon's the one who stayed with her all afternoon."

"Sheldon? What good did that do? He wouldn't know anything about comforting someone."

"I don't know what else to tell you. He spent the afternoon with her and just got home about an hour ago."

Sheldon walked down the hall in his plaid suit and listened to every word they'd said. He still hadn't been able to catch his breath since he left her apartment. It was as if the world were sitting on his chest.

"How's Amy?" Penny asked immediately.

"As good as can be expected, I think," Sheldon said and poured himself a cup of herbal tea.

"Did you try to make her feel better?"

Sheldon looked over the top of his mug at nothing, focusing blankly on a point in the wall.

"Sheldon?" Penny asked.

"I don't want to talk about this," he said and walked towards the door. "Let's go."

* * *

"Still no sign of her," Bernadette said and took another sip of wine.

"At least everything is going well. This place looks amazing," Penny answered.

The guys were busy chatting with their friends from the university. All except Sheldon who stood near the door like a Swiss Guard.

"I'm really worried about her," Bernadette said.

"She wouldn't answer your calls either, huh?"

"No. I even tried calling from Howard's phone."

"She just needs time," Penny said. "She'll get through it."

"I wonder if Barry will show up."

"He'd have to be a complete moron to try."

"That seems to be easy for him."

"Well, if he does, I'm gonna kill him."

The conference hall had filled nicely with the sounds of conversations, but it was time to begin. Seibert took the stage and stood in front of the mic.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen," he said. "I want to thank each and every one of you for joining us for Caltech University's 33rd annual dinner and auction. I hope you enjoy the events we have planned. Speaking of which, we've added a little twist to tonight's itinerary. Not only will you be able to bid on the items advertised, but you will also be allowed to bid on our faculty. That's right. You could win an entire day with a faculty member of your choice. I know many of you are interested in the research we're doing on campus, and if you win, you could spend an entire day in our labs."

The room filled with the low hum of whispered voices.

"And now I would like to introduce tonight's auctioneer and my very dear friend, Chris Applegate."

A large round of applause echoed throughout the conference center. They were ready to begin.

"Thanks, folks," the auctioneer said into the mic. "It's great to be a part of such a fantastic fundraiser. We're gonna start the festivities with the faculty auction, so get your numbered cards ready. Our first faculty member is Lucinda Phillips, philosophy professor."

Professor Phillips took the stage in her floral dress.

"Do I hear $100?"

A sea of cards filled the air, and the betting began.

* * *

The whispers started the moment she opened the door. _She killed Barry in his sleep_. _She was carrying his child. She was connected with the mob and had Barry buried in a hole in the desert. _But Amy couldn't hear a thing. The ringing in her head made it impossible to concentrate on something as simple as walking in a straight line, let alone scrutinizing the rumors of the crowd.

The black velvet jacket laughed at her while her tear-matted hair dangled over the edges of her glasses, irritating her face. The spotless burgundy dress scolded her dirty underwear and paintless toes, but Amy didn't care. She had pressed her outfit the night before, and now she regretted it. Fuck the burgundy dress. What did it know about anything?

Sheldon watched her walk through the room. He wasn't sure what had come over him, but for the first time ever, he hadn't a single thing to say. This was Amy's fight.

"Amy?" Bernadette said as she approached their table. "How are you feeling?"

"Has anyone seen Barry?" Amy asked.

"No. He's not backstage either," Leonard replied.

"Amy, you look awful, sweetie. You should let me take you home. They'll be fine here without you," Penny said and took Amy by the arm.

"Please, don't touch me. I made a commitment to Seibert and the biology department." She shook Penny's hand away. "I'm staying."

Amy was carrying a modest $1000 dollars in her purse. She'd saved it over the last few weeks to use to bid on Barry. She assumed once people saw that his girlfriend was bidding, they'd step aside and let her win. But now it was no more than a stack of post-it notes in her purse, taking up space.

Sheldon approached her slowly from behind, keeping his eyes as far from her as possible. He grabbed a glass of water on the table that he had left there earlier and sipped away as the auctioneer babbled in the background.

"Okay, folks, we're making great progress," the auctioneer announced. "Let's keep movin'. Our next faculty member is a part of the theoretical physics department. He's been published in three peer reviewed journals and loves long walks on the beach." The crowd laughed and readied their cards. "Let's hear it for Barry Kripke."

Sheldon watched Amy's body digress into another fit of trembling as she turned to see the man on the stage. Barry's face was covered in scratches. Part of his hair had been burned away, leaving bald patches on the side.

"Shall we start the bidding at $100?" the auctioneer said.

Several cards shot up.

"How about $200? Do I hear $200?"

The cards darted again.

Amy clutched her purse and the $1000 inside. Maybe Barry had a reason for all of the lies and secrecy? Maybe he was involved in something he couldn't talk about? Maybe something dangerous.

She wouldn't have been able to describe her emotions if she'd been given all the time in the world. The mixture of anger, and sadness, and guilt made her want to die—right there, in the burgundy dress.

She said she wouldn't. She swore she wouldn't. But it happened. She started to cry. She felt as if everything she believed in was ripped from her in the night by a masked entity. She was losing herself with each passing second—until she felt Sheldon place his hand on the small of her back.

For that single moment, she stopped trembling. For that single moment, she relished the warmth of his fingertips as the heat sped through her shivering system. And for that moment, she forgot why she was dying inside.

But the sound of the roaring crowd broke her trance. Apparently, Barry Kripke was a hot item. Everyone wanted a piece of this brilliant bad-boy physicist, or his reputation at least. The bidding was already past $1000 dollars, and that simple fact made Amy hate everyone in the room.

"Ten thousand dollars," a woman called from the back seat with her card number high in the air for everyone to see. The crowd fell silent at the outrageous amount of money this woman was bidding.

Barry scanned the crowd to see the mysterious bidder. He squinted in the spotlight, and when he realized who it was, the blood drained from his face. "Jennifer?"

"You didn't think you'd get rid of me that easily, did you?" she said over the crowd.

The auctioneer took center stage and looked out into the audience, knowing fully that no one was going to outbid her.

"Sold!"


	16. Restitution

_**Restitution: recompense for injury or loss**_

Lub dub.

Voices in a whisper. Touch of a stranger. Heat on her skin.

Lub dub.

Lights in succession. Jumbled applause. Breathless retaliation.

Lub dub.

Amy drifted in and out of consciousness. Her body swayed to the love song of an inner turmoil. And Sheldon's hand never left her side. The crowd cheered in unison as Barry Kripke single-handedly raised $10,000 for the school's research, and Seibert's smile beamed.

But Barry wasn't quite so thrilled. He stormed off the stage, huffing in anger like a crazed bull as he walked towards the shadowed figure from his past. He grabbed her by the arm, a grip so tight that the blood began to drain from her fingertips, and pushed her towards the flickering exit sign.

Despite Amy's labored breathing, loss of hearing, and pounding heart, somehow—she'd seen it all. A part of her had already given up, lying breathless on the side of the road hoping that all oncoming headlights would simply pass by. But the rest of her was ready to fight.

She'd never had to fight for anything before. Not like this, anyway. And whether this would be resolved with words or blows didn't matter. She needed answers.

"Ames?" Penny said as she watched her friend's eyes fill with an unmistakable darkness.

Amy wiped Sheldon's hand from her dress, breaking the final tie that may hold her back from confronting the person who destroyed the life she'd always wanted, and walked towards the double doors of the conference room.

* * *

_What the fuck are you doing hewe?_ She heard through the crack in the door.

_You want me here._ The woman's voice rasped like a serpent, at least that's how it sounded to Amy when she pressed her ear closer to the door.

_Awe you kidding me? Why the fuck would I want you hewe, Jen?_

_Don't ever call me that. You don't get to call me that._

_I have a wife now._

_What life? _

_You wouldn't undewstand. You couldn't. I can't even wook at you without wondewing who the fuck you awe. You'we disgusting._

For the first time since the night began, Amy thought that Barry truly had a reason for his lies. And that moment of acceptance gave her the strength to push the door open.

"Amy," Barry said with a startled stare.

Amy paid no attention to him and looked directly at the woman who came to take him away. She wore a tight fitting purple dress. A thin tattoo of a snake wrapped its way around her neck. How fitting. And her face looked as if it may have been beautiful once.

"This," the woman said and looked at Barry. "This is why we can't be together?"

"She has a name," Barry said.

"Not to me she doesn't."

"I don't need you to fight my battles," Amy said and pushed Barry aside. She wanted a good look at this mysterious woman. "Who are you?"

The woman stood in silence.

"I said, who the fuck are you?" Amy said even louder.

"They call me Agdistis."

"Like the goddess from Greek mythology?"

"I am the goddess."

Amy looked at Barry, fearing that maybe she was dealing with something more than just a cheating whore.

"What do you want with him?" Amy asked.

"The better question is what do _you_ want with him?"

Amy looked back at Barry. "Are you cheating on me?"

"No," he said.

"Then I don't understand. If she's not 'the other woman' then who is she?"

Barry sighed. Amy looked back at the woman.

"You're the other woman," the goddess said.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Ours is a long love story," the goddess said and walked towards Barry. "We've been together for a lifetime." She licked the side of Barry's neck before he could push her away.

"Don't wisten to her, Amy," Barry said. "She'll put thoughts in youw head."

Amy took several steps back. "What the hell is happening?"

"He'll leave you too," the goddess said. "It's just a matter of time. He tells you that he loves you. That he's in love with you. That he wants to be a better man for you."

Amy felt that subtle stinging in her eyes before the tears begin to flow.

"He tells you he'll be there for you forever. That he wants a life with you. That he needs you."

Why wouldn't this woman shut her fucking mouth! Amy fought with all her might, but the tears puddled in the corners of her eyes. The goddess was winning.

"What is she saying, Barry?" Amy asked.

"Nothing. Just fowget evewything about today," he said and pulled Amy into a hug.

"But you were lovers once, weren't you?"

Barry looked off into the distance as if he were reminiscing on a former life. "That was a wong time ago," he whispered. "Wet me take you home. I'll expwain evewything."

Amy's emotions were so muddled that she wasn't sure if she trusted him or wanted him dead. She looked at him for a moment of deliberation before nodding in agreement. He held his arm out for her, but before she could reclaim what she considered hers, the goddess spoke.

"We were supposed to be married, ya know?" she said. A look of sincerity painted itself across her face. Her eyes softened and the snake on her neck seemed to recoil. "Barry and I. We had a whole life planned. We grew up together, playing baseball in the fields on hot summer days. We were high school sweethearts. Even went to the same college, but that's when he changed."

Amy looked at Barry to see his reaction. She expected to see resistance in his stare, but saw nothing but submission. The goddess was telling the truth. A murky, stinging truth.

"He became obsessed with physics," the goddess continued. "Told me that he was just working hard to build a life for us, but I could tell he was building a life for himself. He started to get recognized for his accomplishments, and he lusted after that feeling the way he once lusted after me. Soon, his work meant more to him than I ever did."

The goddess stopped to compose herself. And for the first time, Amy saw what genuine pain looked like. It was nothing like movies or novels had portrayed. It was up-close, in your face, and unforgiving. It was real.

"We had a summer wedding planned. We talked of children. I wanted a baby girl to call my own. To hold, to love, to adore. And I wanted Barry—forever. But Caltech offered him a fantastic research opportunity, and that's all it took for him to leave without so much as a note to tell me where he'd gone."

Amy hated herself for feeling sorry for the goddess. But she did. She wanted to reach out to her. They'd both been hurt by the same man and for some reason, that drew them closer to one another.

"Is this true?" Amy said and moved to see Barry for all that he was.

"It didn't happen quite the way she descwibed, but yes, it's twue."

"I don't know what to say," Amy whispered and looked away, feeling completely naked and alone.

"You don't have to say anything," Barry said. "It's ovew. I'm nevew gonna see hew again."

Amy looked over her shoulder, "I don't understand something. If you left, and you left in such a dramatic way, why is she here now? Why are we all here in this situation?"

"That's the funny thing about Barry," the goddess said. "No matter how much he changes, there will always be a part of him that remains the same."

"And that is?" Amy asked, dreading the answer.

"He's addicted to sex."

"Just shut youw fucking mouth, Jen," Barry said.

"What is she talking about, Barry? You've never mentioned sex once since you've been with me."

"She's wying, Amy. I swear. She just can't accept that it's ovew. That I don't want her anymowe. That I want you. And onwy you."

"Oh, really?" the goddess said with a bit of pep in her voice. "Is that why you fucked me last night?"

"What?" Amy said and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Barry's head fall in shame.

"He fucked me long and hard, ignoring your calls and texts to satisfy himself."

"You're lying…" Amy said. "I know you're lying."

"He told me all about you, Amy Farrah Fowler. He told me that you're a neurobiologist. That you just started working at Caltech. That you're afraid of mimes," the goddess said and moved closer to Amy, close enough to feel her breaths. "And he told me that you don't give him sex. That you don't let him touch you. That you don't satisfy him."

"Oh, my god," Amy whispered when she realized that this woman, this goddess, this goddamn witch knew everything about her.

"Amy," Barry said and rushed to stop her from leaving.

"Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me again," Amy said and ran towards the door.

"Amy, don't. Pwease, I'm not that guy anymowe. I bwoke it off with hew. She set the fucking hotel woom on fire and I stiww walked away."

Amy turned one last time to see what he had to say.

"You have to bewieve me, Amy. I don't need the physical things. Not with you. You make me feew strong, wike I could do anything. I need you, Amy. I need you in my wife. And I won't wet you go. I won't wet you walk away fwom what we have. Don't you see? I wove you."

Amy put her hands on the door and whispered, "And then you leave to lie in another woman's arms."

She opened the door and never looked back, listening to Barry shout through the crack all the while. The crowd watched her like a hoard of silent porcelain dolls.

"I'm leaving," Amy said to Penny and grabbed her things off the table.

"Do you need someone to drive you?" Penny asked.

"No, I need to be left alone."

Amy pushed her way through the nameless faces, counting the steps to the front door. Nothing could make her stay. Not even Seibert could stop her now.

The auctioneer's voice echoed again, and everything continued as if nothing had happened. As if everything was the same as it always was, and as if her heart hadn't just been crushed.

"Our next eligible faculty member is none other than the brilliant Dr. Sheldon Cooper," the auctioneer said into the microphone. "We'll start the bidding at $100. Do I hear $100?"

Amy flung the doors open and breathed in the night air. But now that the people and the voices were gone, she was left alone with her pain. Suddenly, she could feel everything. Her eyes hurt, her chest hurt, her soul hurt.

But through all of that, she could still hear the auctioneer's voice through the walls. _How about $50? Can I get $50 for Dr. Sheldon Cooper?_

Amy opened her purse to get her car keys, hoping that maybe the task would drown out his incessant badgering.

_$25, folks. Do I hear $25 for Sheldon Cooper?_

But no one wanted to bid on a man who'd insult them, belittle them, and make them feel as if they'd never showered in their life. And for most of the benefactors in the audience, they'd already had the pleasure. Sheldon Cooper was on nobody's list.

"Just stop!" Amy said and threw her purse to the ground, her keys hitting the pavement with the rest of its contents. "Just shut up!" she howled and covered her ears before her chest began to heave uncontrollably. Her tears watered the asphalt.

_All we need is one bid, folks. One bid and you could have Sheldon Lee Cooper to yourself for an entire day. _

And then she thought of him and his hand on her back. _Now_ certainly wasn't the time to question her relationship with anyone, but what did it mean? She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked helplessly at her purse, her only friend.

She brushed her fingers along its contents, the same way she'd rub a dog's belly. Lip gloss and spare glasses and bank statements.

And an envelop.

Amy gripped the envelop between her fingers and brought it closer to her bloodshot eyes. She studied the seams and the glue holding it together, keeping the contents concealed. But for what?

She may have not had all the answers to that question, but she had one. She shoved the envelop in her pocket and hurried to gather her purse. She couldn't explain it, but she knew what she wanted. She knew what she'd wanted all along.

The front doors of the conference center opened with a crash to reveal a disheveled, breathless Amy Farrah Fowler . She moved through the crowd so that auctioneer would have no trouble seeing her and she raised her numbered card.

"One thousand dollars!"

* * *

**I want to give CaitAmber another huge thank you for editing for me. You help make writing enjoyable :) Sorry to all of my readers for the delay. This chapter has given me quite the hard time, and it's still not where I'd like it to be, but it's as good as I think it's gonna get. Some chapters have minds of their own.**


	17. Verification

_**Verification: the process of establishing the truth, accuracy or validity of something**_

It was a blinding light that left his eyes begging for forgiveness. The blistering sound of Seibert's voice echoed throughout the conference hall. And according to his Vulcan hearing and eidetic memory, Amy Farrah Fowler had just paid one thousand dollars to spend the day with him. There was something restful about the sound of her voice calling his name, like warm water flowing down his body.

"Sold!" Seibert said into the microphone while waiving a mourning, wanting, dying Amy Farrah Fowler towards her prize. She cupped the envelop while her shoes tapped along the wooden floor, each step narrating her emotional digression.

She dreaded the events to come, fearing that she would fall apart, leaving tiny bits of a blood red broken heart on the floor.

But somewhere in a hidden, darkened place, her heart had already begun to heal and harden. The tiny bits rejoiced in their blood-stained battle scars, morphing and fusing into an army of one. Whispers of a secret plot laced themselves in the sound waves of her beating heart, quietly gathering all forces for war, building a wall never to allow the outside world to trespass again.

And so it grew—a citadel of stone.

Sheldon made a modest, awkward grin, offering his arm like a gentlemen as she took the stage alongside him. Amy's fingers wrapped themselves around his blazer, savoring the implications of it all, and they walked from the stage arm and arm like a Hollywood power couple.

"Are you okay?" Sheldon said once they reached their table.

"We'll meet tomorrow. I need to go," Amy answered and walked out the conference door. And for as brilliant as he was, Sheldon was terribly confused.

* * *

"_Meet me in my office at nine tomorrow," _Amy texted Sheldon late in the night. His eyes adjusted to the flash of light while his mouth cursed the messenger.

He scanned the words and found himself smiling and thankful that the room was dark, else someone might know that his heart was racing in giddy excitement.

"_What do you have planned?" _he answered.

Amy tapped her phone against her forehead. What did she have planned? _Nothing_ was the only answer that came to mind, but she couldn't let him know that up until a few hours ago, she had fully intended on bidding on Barry. She couldn't tell him that just days before, she had vowed to stay away from him entirely and dedicate her life to her boyfriend, the man of her dreams.

She slid deep into her bed, hoping that tonight was the night that the she would just keep sliding into oblivion. But Mr. Chubbs was there, purring at the end of her feet just like every night before and she knew that she had no choice but to face the music.

"_Just be there."_

* * *

Nine o'clock had come and gone. He had grown rather friendly with the scratches and blemishes on her office door. People passed him in the hall, many of which kept to their business, but some whispered about the events of the night before. Sheldon had become a playboy and a bastard and the boy next door all at once. His reputation had changed, and until this very moment, he hadn't spent the time to decide how he felt about it.

A part of him felt confused, like he hadn't really been a part of last night—that maybe something bigger was working on his behalf. And another part of him felt that he had betrayed his one true love of physics and traded it for something false and vain. But the biggest part of him knew that he needed Amy. He wanted her. And not just for today.

He watched the clock hanging on the wall signal the approach of lunch time. Maybe she wasn't coming. Maybe she didn't want to anymore. Maybe she only bid on him because she felt sorry for him.

"_I'm still here," _he texted from the small couch by her office, and as much as he longed for his bus pants, he wasn't moving.

Amy jumped from her bed, sending Mr. Chubbs into a fit. The sound of the text was an accosting reminder that she'd overslept. But when she realized that she hadn't set her alarm the night before, hadn't picked out an outfit to wear, and hadn't prepped the tea kettle for morning—that she really had no intention of getting up today. Or any day, for that matter.

She didn't need her glasses to know that the text was from Sheldon. What she did last night was wrong. She knew that much, but how could she possibly tell Sheldon? How could she begin to explain that she had led him on in so many ways? That she wasn't looking for a relationship. That she wasn't looking for anything.

"_I'm sorry. I won't be in today. Not feeling well," _she answered. When in doubt, say you're sick. That's what her mom always told her. But up until today, Amy hadn't heard a word. She'd never had to resist a man's interest in her. She never had to push affection away. And there was something so pathetic about that thought that she lost the will to do anything but cry.

"_Very well. Shall we reschedule?" _Sheldon responded. He was used to disappointment when it came to social interactions, but it never seemed to matter because mother physics was always waiting with a hot bowl of soup when he got home. But today was different. He didn't know why, but he knew that something inside him just—hurt.

Amy's phone slipped off the side of the bed while she collapsed in on herself. Mr. Chubbs snuggled against the warm, vibrating screen and purred as if life was grand.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Leonard asked Sheldon.

"What?"

"We're getting ready to eat dinner and you're putting on your jacket. Where are you going?"

"Nowhere. It's just chilly in here," Sheldon said and zipped his jacket all the way to his neck.

"You control the thermostat. Why don't you just turn the heat on?"

"It's not in the Roommate Agreement."

"So, you're just going to wear your jacket all night?"

"Yes," Sheldon answered smugly.

"Okay, so you're wearing your jacket, you had me order an entire gallon of chicken soup, and now the thermostat settings, which you designed, are no longer adequate? What's going on with you?"

"Nothing. Why does something have to be wrong? Can't a man make some simple changes if he sees fit?"

"Not if that man is you," Leonard said and began to unpack the food before everyone arrived.

Sheldon watched the giant soup container leave the bag and rest on the table. He didn't realize it would be quite so large. But it would have to do.

"You know what?" Sheldon said in a high-pitched squeak like a boy going through puberty. "I think I'll eat my dinner outside tonight. You know, watch the stars."

"It's still light out," Leonard said over the tops of his glasses.

"The sun is a star," Sheldon answered and popped his nose in the air.

"Fine," Leonard said and shoved the gallon of soup into Sheldon's arms. "May you attract every sick and homeless person in a twenty mile radius."

The mere thought of sickly people invading his air supply made Sheldon cringe in his windbreaker. He would need to disguise the soup.

* * *

Sheldon sat on the bus, gently cradling the gallon of soup hidden in the paper bag as if it were nitro glycerin. People on the bus slowly moved away from him, questioning whether the bomb he was carrying was big enough to blow the entire bus or just himself. The driver checked the mirror every-so-often to make sure that Sheldon hadn't moved, and as a community, they anticipated his stop.

When that moment finally came, and Sheldon stepped foot on the sidewalk, the passengers breathed a sigh of relief, but Sheldon found himself gasping for air. He'd never done anything like this.

He thought for sure he could handle any set of stairs, but these ones seemed to be endless and he didn't mind. It gave him time to think. Time to question why the hell he was doing this. Time to talk himself out of it. And time to regret his choice of shoes.

But all the time in the world wouldn't help him solve this equation. It required too many moving parts for one mind to master. Even a mind as remarkable as his own. He needed another person on his side. A scientist.

Knock knock knock, Amy.

Knock knock knock, Amy.

Knock knock knock, Amy.

* * *

"Should I even ask about what's in the bag?" Amy said as she held the door open for Sheldon.

"It's soup."

"That's a lot of soup. What's it for?"

"You said you weren't feeling well," Sheldon answered sweetly and placed the container on the counter. "This will help."

Amy's throat tightened, holding back an explosion of emotion. "I don't think all the soup in the world could help me."

"Not true," Sheldon said and helped her to a seat at the dining room table. "Soup not only has medicinal value, but the heat and consistency can help with depression." He poured a bowl full and set it in front of her. "Eat."

Amy smiled slightly and lifted her spoon to test the golden liquid. "Wow, this is really good."

"And?" Sheldon said with a beckoning grin.

"And what?"

"And good FOR you," he answered to emphasize his point.

Amy smiled again, and for the time being, they were content to sit in silence. Sheldon listened to the gentle slurping of her lips, noticing the delicate shimmer that the broth left behind. Amy spent her time debating whether she was feeling guilty, or happy, or embarrassed. Probably a bit of all three, but the golden liquid washed all of that away. It really did have healing powers.

"Feel any better," Sheldon asked when she had finished the final mouthful.

"Yes, actually," she said with a sigh.

She watched him for a bit. Admiring his sweetness and integrity, but questioning his motives at the same time. She never used to do that. Is this what the new Amy Farrah Fowler had to look forward to? A life full of questions, never fully trusting anyone? Never loving? Never living?

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"To bring you soup," Sheldon answered quickly.

"Come on, we both know you're here for more than just soup."

"I don't know what you mean?"

"You mean to tell me that you didn't have some hidden agenda? Hoping to get lucky with the girl who just got dumped?"

Sheldon looked at her with a questioning grin.

"I'm sorry," Amy said and stood from the table. "You don't deserve that." She pushed her feet into her slippers and plopped on the couch, watching the same infomercial she'd been watching all day.

Sheldon followed her and sat on the opposite end.

"Amy," he said and turned the television on mute. "I came here because you said that you weren't feeling well. When I don't feel well, Leonard takes care of me, or Penny depending on her work schedule. Actually, she usually just complains the whole time and winds up being very irritable all day."

Amy glared at him for rambling.

"Sorry," he said and resumed his former thought. "What I mean to say—is that everyone deserves to be taken care of at one point or another."

Amy felt the tears well in her eyes, and all she could say was a simple thank you under her breath.

Sheldon smiled and turned the television back on before throwing a blanket over Amy.

* * *

When the infomercial finally ended, Sheldon looked to say something to Amy when he realized that she was asleep. The blanket gently rose and fell with her soft breaths. He pulled her glasses from her face and set them on the side table.

He wanted to stay. He wanted to watch her sleep and keep her safe through the night. He wanted to be the first thing she saw when she woke, and he wanted to be the hand that helped her back into the world tomorrow morning. But he was a gentleman and knew that Amy needed her space.

He grabbed his jacket and wallet, brushed her hair from her face, and walked towards the door.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Sheldon felt his heart jump at the sound. Was Amy expecting someone? Should he answer on her behalf? Would she want that?

But as he was debating, he heard a revolting sound that made his body cringe.

_Amy, pwease open the doow. I just want to tawk._


	18. Ascension

_**Ascension: the act of rising to important position or higher level**_

_Amy, pwease. I just need to make suwe you'we awight. But you need to open the doow. _

Sheldon listened as goosebumps formed on his skin. The sweat of a thousand emotions began to bead on his chest, and for the first time in his life, he wasn't the geek being shoved in the toilet. He wasn't even the kid who ate his lunch with the older lady named Suzanne. No, today, he was the Hulk. He felt invincible, a magnifying force that he couldn't control. And even if he could, he wouldn't. His mind raced faster than ever, a flawless microchip.

He was ready.

_Amy, I know you'we home. Youw wights awe on and I saw youw caw outside. Pwease, I just need to say a few things. _

Amy slept soundly, never once hearing the dreadful sound of the man she once called hers. Sheldon watched the vein in her neck pulse a steady rhythm. She was at peace, for the time being. How could he possibly let anyone destroy that?

But he was smart enough to know that Kripke didn't need an ass-kicking. He needed closure. Physical altercation would simply make him fight harder for what he'd lost, and Sheldon wouldn't let that happen.

_Amy, I didn't want it to happen wike this, but I'm coming in. _

His Vulcan hearing absorbed the patter of the single-pin tumblers and his teeth clenched together, grinding in a meditated pattern. He felt strong, forgetting all that slept in the past and all that might be lurking in the future. All that mattered was _now,_ this moment.

The door eased open to reveal Barry Kripke, a trace of alcohol in the air, and cries of a lover who'd long been disgraced.

"Amy?" Barry said and rushed to her side when she didn't wake. "Amy, wake up."

Her body shifted under his touch before her eyes opened to see the living embodiment of the vision in her dream. Here he was, the knight she'd always dreamed of, racing in the sunset on a stallion of black.

But when the sunset faded and her eyes focused on the real-life display before her, all she saw the black of night. And the noble steed ran hard and fast in the bitter cold, carrying a monster.

"Get out," Amy said and rose like a mummy from its tomb. She wanted vengeance. Her heart craved it.

"Amy, I need to talk to you."

"I said get out."She stood to her feet and stared into his soul.

"I know you'we upset, but I'm not weaving until we tawk about this. You need to wisten to me." Barry put a hand on her shoulder only to have it slapped away.

"I've heard all I care to hear. Now, get out." Amy pointed to the door without so much as a quiver.

"Amy, thewe's nothing going on with Jen. That has been ovew for a wong time. Evewything she said to you was a lie."

"Was it?" Amy said and moved closer to him, pushing him towards the coffee table. "Did your parents lie too? How about the doctors at the hospital who'd never heard of your father? Were they lying?"

"You talked to them?"

"I talked to everyone, Barry."

Barry threw is hands up. "It doesn't mattew what they towd you," he shouted in frustration. "I'm tewwing you this: thewe is nothing going on between Jen and me. It's ovew."

Amy moved even close, pinning his legs to the hard wood of her living room table. Her hair fell over her face, shading her eyes. "What did you do to her?"

"What?"

"To Jen? Did you cheat on her too?"

"Jen is gone," he howled.

"Why does she call herself the goddess?"

Barry's face froze.

"Why can't she keep her hands from shaking?"

Barry still said nothing.

"What did you do to that poor girl? And were you planning on doing it to me? Using and abusing me until I snapped? Started to drink, or even worse, invent a new identity altogether?"

"It wasn't wike that…"

"Then what was it like?"

"She was…"

"She was what, Barry? Hopelessly devoted to you? And that wasn't good enough?"

Barry's eyes filled with tears. "Amy, pwease…"

"You son of a bitch." The words echoed in his ears after she slapped the side of his jaw.

Sheldon listened from Amy's bedroom. His hands clenched in fists gripping tighter with each passing word. He felt strange. As if he were growing smaller. That the room was swallowing him whole. Or maybe it was that a part of him was growing bigger. A part of him that he never knew existed.

But this part of him carried a bitter taste, a calling card. It sloshed in his mouth like a sip of bile. And there was something so sweet about it, like nectar feeding his every move, nursing his dark desires.

"I don't ever want to see your face again. Don't call. Don't text. Don't speak to me again," Amy said.

"Just give me one goddamn minute to tawk."

"And say what? More lies? I haven't left this house since last night and I won't until I know that you are gone for good."

"You don't mean that."

Amy's jaw flinched in the stillness.

Barry hung his head, pressing his chin to his chest. "I can be the man you thought I once was. I can be the man who makes you happy. I just need the chance."

"You had it. Now get out."

Barry lifted his head and looked straight into Amy's eyes. There was a speck in his eye that she didn't recognize and it frightened her. "Or what?"

Suddenly, Amy felt a loss of power as if someone had just plunged a knife in her gut. Barry's bodied stiffened and by some optical illusion, he towered over her.

"I'm not weaving. I don't desewve this, Amy. And you know it."

Amy's legs stepped back, freeing him from the binds of the table. Part of her did it to see if he would leave, and part of her did it because she feared he never would. Her mother had always talked to her about men and how they were hard to predict—anticipate—control. Especially when desire was involved. Now she understood. She understood all the after-school specials. She understood everything she'd learned in herself defense class, and without any hesitation, she understood that this was real.

Barry stepped away from the table and touched her hair gently. "Isn't this bettew?" he whispered as his body inched her towards the wall. "We can be happy, Amy. We can be everything you wanted us to be."

He slipped his hand behind her neck and snapped her heads towards his, kissing her firmly on the lips. The smell of alcohol filled her lungs as she struggled, but his grip was strong.

"We will live our lives as if the past no longer exists. We'll start new," he said when their lips parted.

Amy cringed into the wall and dreaded whatever might come next.

"What is that?" Barry said as he backed away, loosening his grip on her neck.

"What do you mean?"

Barry walked to the table and picked up the gallon of soup. "What is this?"

"It's soup," Amy said as her body began to tremble.

"This is from the other side of town." Barry set the soup down and looked at her. "You said you haven't left this apartment since last night. It's still hot."

Amy stepped away from the wall and slid towards her bedroom, hoping that if she moved slowly enough, he wouldn't notice and she could get her phone out of her purse.

"I reheated it."

"In a one-gallon jug?"

Barry rubbed the label on the soup container as if a genie were going to appear and give him all the answers. "Who brought you this, Amy?"

"No one," Amy answered and continued to creep towards any viable sanctuary.

Her stomach tightened when he started to move towards her. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop her breaths from sounding, and a simple ripple in the rug had stopped her in her tracks.

Until she felt a hand on her shoulder. A warm, comforting grip that gave her balance and guided her through this clash of dark and light. And before she could even process the events, she was safely hidden in a shadow of green.

"April 4th, 2:26p.m. You started dating Amy Farrah Fowler. Your phone vibrated incessantly from the incoming texts from 'Girlfriend.'"

Sheldon's face followed his voice into the light.

"What the fuck, Coopew?"

" April 18th, 6:57p.m. You had your first fight. You spent the whole night picking out flowers online in your office."

"What awe you doing hewe, Sheldon?"

Sheldon stepped closer and continued to speak. "May 25th, 8:18a.m. You had cheated on Amy for the first time the night before. You wreaked of a cheap perfume and whiskey."

Barry's eyes started to grow wide and Sheldon moved closer, forcing Barry towards the front door of Amy's apartment.

"June 17th, 4:45p.m. You thought Amy had caught you in your first lie. You ignored her calls and texts for hours before finding out she was simply looking to thank you for the special date you'd taken her on. The thank-you card still sits on your office desk."

"You'we a fucking psycho, Coopew."

Sheldon put his hand on Barry's chest and pushed him closer to the door. "July 31, 9:14a.m. You cheated on Amy the second time. The scratches on your neck were only fitting of a woman with acrylic nails."

"How do you know all of this?" Barry asked breathlessly.

"September 1st, 8:36a.m. You told Amy you loved her for the very first time. Her smile was perfect that day."

Barry's heels finally met the threshold.

"September 15th, 7:45p.m. You took an innocent life. She ran crying from the auction last night."

Barry swallowed and looked up at Sheldon who stood tall above him.

"September 16th, 8:56p.m." Sheldon paused.

"That's right now," Barry whispered.

"You walk down this hall one last time." Sheldon bent low to bring his lips to Barry's ear. "And pray that I never find you."

Barry glanced at Amy and then back at the floor before stepping away and walking down the hall with courage dragging behind.

When his feet turned the corner, Sheldon looked back at Amy to find her crying hopelessly on the couch.

"Did he hurt you?" Sheldon asked and sat next to her.

"No," Amy whispered. "How did you know all of that?"

"I have an eidetic memory. I can't forget."

Amy had no answer except tears.

"I'm sure this whole thing must have been traumatic for you. I'm sorry," Sheldon said. "I really wasn't trying to re-hash old wounds. I just wanted to prove a point."

"It's not that," Amy said and wiped the steams from her cheeks.

"Then what is it?"

Amy stood from the couch and walked to the dining room table, eyeing the gallon of soup all the while. She picked it up and cradled it in her arms as if it were a baby she wanted to keep forever.

"Amy?" Sheldon asked.

She looked at him with trembling lips. "That was my first kiss."


	19. Retraction

_**Retraction: a disavowal or taking back of a previous assertion**_

"You really think he's gonna resign?" Howard whispered in the cafeteria.

"I don't know. He looked pretty bad after the auction. I don't think Seibert would be meeting with him for so long if it wasn't serious," Leonard answered as he opened his Vitamin Water.

"Not sure how I feel about that," Raj said.

"I know," Leonard started, "I mean, we all know he's a total ass, but in some weird way, he kind of makes the day go by faster."

"Seriously?" Howard said while his jaw gaping. "It's Kripke. We should be dancing up and down the halls at the possibility of him quitting. Not sitting here like a bunch of kids who just lost their puppy."

"He's right," Raj answered.

"It doesn't really matter. I don't think he'll actually resign. He'll probably demand a raise or better equipment and Seibert will fold," Leonard said.

"You think Seibert plays favorites?" Raj said.

"What do you mean?" Leonard asked.

"I mean, I've noticed that in the last year, it doesn't seem like he reads any of our proposals. It seems like he just picks whatever faculty member he likes best and that's that."

"Wow," Leonard said and looked around the cafeteria before continuing, "Sheldon said that exact thing when his proposal was denied and I didn't listen because, well… It's Sheldon. You think there is any truth to that?"

"Well, as much as I don't want to admit it, do you really think Kripke could write a better proposal than Sheldon?" Raj answered.

The guys looked at each other in silence, sensing that maybe they had just stumbled upon one of those major scandals you watch on the early morning news.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Sheldon said and sat in his usual spot at the nerd table. "What is the topic of conversation?"

None of them had much to say in return. Instead, their heads were spinning and reeling in the possibilities of it all.

"Hello?" Sheldon said.

"Sorry," Leonard sad once he'd dropped back into reality, "We were just talking about Kripke."

Sheldon felt a pit form in his stomach and all of the sudden—lunch didn't look so appetizing. He did something last night that he'd never thought imaginable. He'd faced the bully head-on and won. But he was beginning to realize that winning wasn't what he'd hoped. When he woke, he expected to feel like a king. He deserved it, right? He'd saved the damsel in distress and he did it with all the dignity and prowess of any of the great heroes.

So why did he feel like throwing up? Why was he so scared to walk the halls alone? Why did the name Kripke send chills through his bones?

"Oh?" Sheldon said without taking his eyes off of his plate.

"Yeah. We saw him this morning and he looked pretty beat up. There's a rumor he might be resigning."

Could it really be that easy? One simple altercation and he leaves Amy alone, resigns, and leaves forever?

"I see," Sheldon said and pulled his sandwich close to his mouth, knowing fully that he had no intention of eating now.

"You don't seem too happy. I thought for sure you'd be the one person in this university who would be completely satisfied if he left. What's going on with you?"

"You keep asking me that as if there were something wrong. As if I was taking part in some secret conspiracy. I assure you, Leonard. I am more than happy to hear that Kripke may be leaving, but until that actually happens, I have many more important things to occupy my time."

"Like your mysterious dinner date last night?" Leonard said with a smug grin.

"What?"

"Come on, Sheldon. We all know you didn't eat your dinner outside on the bench. You met with someone."

"I'm not going to sit here and let you judge me," Sheldon said with his nose in the air, "And I'm certainly not going to sit here and let you all pretend that you're smarter than me. I ate dinner last night, and it wasn't with you. That's all you need to know." He gathered his tray and stumbled from behind the table.

"You know we're gonna find out, Sheldon," Howard said with a smirk while sipping his soda."We know how you feel about lies. You're bound to slip up somewhere along the line. It's just a matter of time."

Sheldon stopped short and turned to face Howard directly, "In order to identify a lie, the accuser must first be smarter than the liar." He moved closer. "And we both know that won't be happening anytime soon."

Howard's eyes scanned the cafeteria. "Hey, Kripke," he said over Sheldon's shoulder.

"Where?" Sheldon said with a yelp and froze in place. He lifted a spoon to see over his shoulder only to realize that Howard was attempting to execute some pathetic prank. Sheldon put the spoon down and swallowed to relieve the stress in his chest.

"Looks like it might sooner than you think," Howard said.

* * *

"I noticed you weren't at work today," Sheldon said into the phone while he fixed himself a cup of tea. Leonard was spending the night at Penny's and for the first time in quite a while, he wished that his best friend had stayed home. There was something eerie about the empty apartment that surrounded him. Nothing looked familiar. Even the sound of his voice was a frequency he no longer recognized. So much was changing.

"I know," Amy said.

"Are you okay?"

He heard her sigh through the phone. "I know you want to help, but…" Her voice trailed away and Sheldon waited for what seemed like forever for her words to continue. People always talk about what you see just before you die, but what about what you see just before you hear the most painful thing you can imagine? Is that worse than death? What kind of vision could be fitting for something worse than death? Sheldon didn't want to think about it, but his mind had grown so accustomed to multi-tasking with perfection that it had already begun sifting through thoughts and desires on autopilot.

"I don't want you to fight my fights anymore," she finally said. "I need to do this on my own. It was very nice of you to help last night, and I appreciate it. But, please, Dr. Cooper—just leave me alone."

Sheldon hung up the phone and left is tea steaming on the counter. His bedroom door drifted closed behind him.

* * *

"Where's the whack-a-doodle?" Penny asked when the dinner had been served and no one complained when she touched the fries on Sheldon's plate.

"In his room," Leonard answered.

"Why?"

"Couldn't tell ya. He's been in there all night."

"It has something to do with Kripke," Howard said dryly.

"You don't know that," Leonard said.

"I'm telling you. He's hiding something."

"Don't listen to Howard."

"Well, did any of you check on him?" Penny asked.

"Check on him? Men don't check on other men. And in this case—we don't check on… whatever Sheldon is," Leonard answered.

Penny looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Fine," he said and stood from his chair. "I'll check on him."

* * *

"Sheldon?" he said into the crack of his bedroom door. "You in there?"

Leonard listened for any sign of life, but the room was silent. The same as it had been all night. "I just need to know if you're okay." Leonard said with a sigh. "Please, Sheldon? This isn't a time for games. I need to know if you're still alive."

A shuffling sound drifted from below the door. "Unfortunately," Sheldon said.

"Can I come in?"

The door opened, disclosing a shameless glimpse into Sheldon's state of mind. The room was destroyed, but not to the average eye. The books were neat but out of order. The bed was made but the sheets hung to the floor, and Leonard had know Sheldon long enough to know that something was truly bothering him.

"Hey, buddy," Leonard said when Sheldon moved from behind the door in nothing but pajama bottoms. "You don't look so good."

Sheldon shuffled his feet along the floor as if they were made of lead. The bones in his shoulders shifted as he walked, using all his strength just to hold himself upright.

"Leonard?" Sheldon said and sat on the edge of his bed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Absolutely," Leonard answered and sat on the opposite side. "What's up?"

"To ensure that the following question does not go to your head, I want to make it completely clear that I know that you are not an expert on what I am about to ask, but you do have more experience than I do. And at this point in time," he sighed and reached for his shirt lying on the floor, "That's all that matters."

"Okay?"

Sheldon slipped the shirt over his svelte figure and waited a moment to gather his thoughts. Thinking before speaking was never a habit of his, but something about this question made him want to do everything just right. He rested his palms on the comforter and focused on the air moving in and out of his lungs, but his senses felt so dull, so black and white, so shapeless.

"I need your advice," he said and gripped the blanket, massaging the threads between his clammy fingers. "How do I…"

But just when he thought he could confide in his friend, Sheldon's body rebelled. His throat tightened and the air that moments before seemed so easy to consume, was thick and rebellious, kicking and screaming all the way down.

"Sheldon?" Leonard said and touched the top of Sheldon's shoulder. "Oh, my god. Are you really sweating that much?"

Sheldon turned in his seat and looked at his stack of comic books. "How do I get what I want," he whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"I want something. And despite my best efforts, I can't seem to have it. What do I do?"

"Are you talking about something personal or professional?"

"Would the advice be different?"

"I guess not. What have you tried?"

"That's irrelevant. All you need to know is that it hasn't worked."

"Well, if everything you've tried is hitting a dead end…" Leonard scratched his head. "Then I'd do something that was the opposite of those things."

"You mean—do the _illogical _thing?"

"If the logical solutions aren't working, then maybe they were never very logical to begin with."

"Leonard," Sheldon said and looked closely at his little buddy. "Sometimes you really do surprise me. That was inspired."

Leonard smiled and nudged his glasses up his nose. "Ya think?"

"Not really…" Sheldon answered and stood from the bed to escort Leonard back into the living room. "But it was helpful."

* * *

If he passed her office enough times, she was bound to strike up a conversation. At least that was the plan, but the fifteen laps around the building were starting to take a very large toll on his legs and make a very small impression on the woman who'd noticed him exactly zero times.

Einstein always said that the definition of insanity was repeating the same thing and expecting different results, but where did hope fit into that?

Einstein had no interest in fate and neither did Sheldon. It was gibberish, a distraction for the weak-minded. But maybe a distraction was the perfect solution.

Sheldon exhaled and passed her office for the sixteenth time, feeling sure that his odds were changing, but there she sat—eyes pinned to her work, hair mussed, and ankles crossed under her desk.

Maybe he could knock? Make up some legitimate reason why he was there? Surely, that would work, but then he remembered everything that Leonard said the night before. Do the illogical thing. But what the hell was that?

Thank goodness someone had the answer. Just as Sheldon passed her door, his shoulder rammed directly into a frantic undergraduate. Books and papers spilled onto the floor, the pages blinking and flashing as they settled to their resting places on the battlefield.

"I'm so sorry, Dr. Cooper. I didn't even see you," the girl said while avoiding eye contact.

"Undergrads…" Sheldon mumbled and helped her pick up her things.

"Everything okay out here?" a familiar voice asked.

Sheldon looked up to see the mousey brown hair that haunted his thoughts.

"Oh, Dr. Cooper," she said when she recognized him.

"Dr. Fowler," Sheldon said with a nod as he rose to his feet. The student packed her bag quickly and scurried down the hall in embarrassment.

"What was that about?" Amy asked and looked into Sheldon's eyes.

"Clumsiness," he said.

"I see."

"Well, if that's all, I better get going," he said and turned to walk down the hall.

"Umm, wait," Amy said hastily and brushed the hair from her face.

Sheldon's mouth flashed a smile before he turned around. "Yes?"

"I just want to say…" She fiddled with her cardigan for a moment, fussing and primping like a teenager. "I just want to say that I'm sorry—for everything. I'm not usually like this."

Sheldon nodded his head and waited for more.

"I guess what I really want to say, Dr. Cooper… I mean Sheldon—is that I'd like to start fresh. Maybe meet for coffee sometime after work?"

Sheldon almost forgot Leonard's advice and accepted, but just as the words were ready to escape his lips, he forced himself to defy logic.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Fowler, but I am otherwise engaged."

He turned the corner and forced himself to do the hardest thing he'd ever had to do—wait.

* * *

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews. The kind words mean more than you know. Sorry for the delay of this chapter. Hope you all like it :)**


	20. Revolution

_**Revolution: a change in paradigm**_

It was simple. Not quite what he wanted, but it served its purpose. Some nights it kept him awake, reminding him of the future and how precious it had become. It reminded him of his goals and dreams, of physics, and sometimes it persuaded the nights to carry on forever. But there were other times when he loved the look on its face, and the fluid movements of its hands. There was something mesmerizing about its precision, an unshakable magnetism. Tonight was one of those times. He listened to everything it had to say, absorbing every single tick until they became his own, relishing its selfless embrace. It was a timepiece worthy of all the demands he placed upon it, and tonight, it was screaming at the top of its lungs in anticipation. It was time for dinner.

And Amy was coming.

Sheldon adjusted the band of the watch around his wrist, pulling it snug against his skin. It shimmered in the light as his left hand delicately swam through his hair to adjust every stray strand.

Perfect.

_Food's up, _Leonard said through Sheldon's bedroom door and that was the signal. That was the gunshot in the sky that let everyone know that the race had begun. And as the gates dropped and the howl of feet sounded, Sheldon enjoyed the feeling of first place while it lasted because right now he was racing alone. No one else registered and no one else cared. Not yet, at least. But that was all about to change because tonight was the night that Amy Farrah Fowler would earn a number pinned to her back in the race of a lifetime.

He opened his bedroom door and when he saw her sitting on the couch, chatting in a fluent mono-tonailty about neural functions, he knew there was no turning back.

He'd never set foot in the ocean and wouldn't unless the Zombie Apocalypse called for such extreme activities, but if he had to imagine the swelling pressure of the waves washing against his legs, he'd compare them to the shifting floorboards beneath his feet as he walked towards the woman who had revolutionized his thought processes. They managed to thwart his balance more than once, waxing and waning to an unrecognizable rhythm. Impossible to predict. Impossible to avoid.

With one final step, he reached the end of the hall and was thrown into the mix before he'd even stopped to breathe.

"Hey, Sheldon," Penny said and waved him towards the couch. "Feelin' better today?"

But like a fool, Sheldon glanced at Amy briefly before answering Penny, setting loose thousands of butterflies in his system to devour all semblance of order.

"Am I feeling better?" he answered while a subtle shade of pale sifted down his face.

"Yeah, you weren't feeling well yesterday, remember?" she said and ate a pretzel from the snack bowl. "Actually, you look pretty bad today too. Are you sick?"

"Sick?" Sheldon said. "Of course I'm not sick. I'm Dr. Sheldon Cooper."

This was getting ridiculous. He hardly knew this woman, this harpy, this irresistible force and it was time he took back control of his own faculties. If there was one thing he enjoyed, it was competition. And Amy Farrah Fowler was proving to be a worthy adversary.

For now.

"Whatever," Penny said and turned towards the TV when she accepted yet again that Sheldon was Sheldon.

But Sheldon wasn't being Sheldon at all. In fact, he was about to do what he'd only seen in movies. He was about to become the handsome, aloof leading man who would entrap his female counterpart in a perfect love spell.

Okay, that's a little dramatic even for Sheldon. But the mission was the same. He was out to win her heart. And he would do it in a way that he found completely absurd.

"Good evening, Dr. Fowler," Sheldon said with a grin.

One minute he was lost and confused with a sloshing feeling in his gut and the next, he was James Bond in a tuxedo. Maybe some black magic had come into play. Or maybe something far greater.

Kolinahr.

Color flooded his face and strength to his body as if he had consumed a hearty serving of steroids. His eyes began to glow in vibrant blue, and for once he felt ready for battle.

"Hello, Sheldon," Amy said and shifted in her seat to make sure she wasn't touching his spot.

"Oh, no thank you," Sheldon said with another mischievous grin. "I'll be dining elsewhere this evening."

Penny dropped her pretzel at the very words escaping his lips. "What?" she said.

"I'll be eating in the kitchen tonight. Nice change of scenery."

"What the hell have you done with Sheldon?"

"Today?" Sheldon answered. "Today he's eating dinner in the kitchen."

And the smug grin never left his face.

"You're not gonna keep Amy company?"

"Now why would I do that? She has you."

Amy looked back and forth between them feeling very confused. "No one needs to keep me company. Just treat me like everyone else," she said.

"As you wish," Sheldon said to himself and began to fix his dinner. The night was proving to be much easier than he expected. In fact, he was rather enjoying his new-found power.

Until she spoke—and ruined everything.

"Oh, Sheldon, I thought you might find this interesting. I've done some extensive research on the phenomenon that you call an eidetic memory," Amy said with her hands on her knees.

"And?" Sheldon said, just begging her to gush all over him.

"Experts say that more often than not, an eidetic memory is a result of a terminal defect."

Amy was no simpleton. She knew exactly why Sheldon was displaying a nonchalant, callous approach to her. She'd dated the most conniving and fake man alive, making Sheldon's simple ruse easy to identify. But the real question was this: Did she care, and if she did, what would she do about it?

"They also say that those possessing an eidetic memory have great difficulty with simple things, like casual conversation, physical intimacy—even love in its purest form."

Sheldon's face responded with a twitch. Well played, Amy Farrah Fowler.

"I am perfectly capable of mastering any task that presents itself, Dr. Fowler. You can ask anyone here and they'll surely tell you that I excel at everything."

Penny looked at Amy and shook her head.

"I see," Amy said and stood from the couch. "Because you really don't seem like a person who thrives on human interaction."

"That's ridiculous. I'm talking to you right now as well as proving you completely wrong. That requires a tremendous amount of social interaction and skill."

"Does it? Because you seem to be leaking," Amy said calmly, focusing on the ring of sweat that had formed around the collar of his shirt. "That's not usually a sign of someone at ease."

Sheldon closed his eyes.

_Do the illogical thing. Do the illogical thing. Do the illogical thing. _

Every atom in his body told him to fight back, to prove her wrong. But a desire that strong could only mean that he was falling under the pressure of her advance, and that couldn't happen.

And then he felt it. It started in his toes, leaving a warm sensation to spread over his legs. Then onto his hips and stomach and chest. And just as it passed through that seeping ring of sweat on his shirt, his eyes opened slowly to reveal a man consumed by the desire to be first, last, and best.

"That sounds quite plausible, Amy. Sadly, I'm far too involved in real science to entertain the weaknesses of psychology." He smiled wide—a sarcastic, arrogant, intoxicating smile. "May I offer you a beverage before you return to your seat? You look like you could use a refreshment."

Amy smiled at his tactics and lowered her eyes to focus on his body posture. She found herself strangely allured to his ironed t-shirt and slim fitting slacks, his thin frame pressing against the fabric.

"I'll have a soda," she said before returning her eyes to his.

"Very well," Sheldon said and opened the refrigerator.

Amy used his absence to her advantage and walked close behind him until her skirt nearly pressed against the back of his legs.

He lifted his head and hand from the fridge, gripping the ice cold water with all his might, trying to calm his nerves when he realized that she was standing so close.

Amy reached over his shoulder to grab the bottle from his hands. When he finally raised his back, the space between them ran screaming for the hills and he felt the gentle pressure of her torso along his back.

She held the water in his hands and stepped back a bit to give him room to turn around. But the sudden shift in events left Sheldon in a paralysis. He'd had a plan for tonight. He was going to do the illogical thing at all costs to get Amy to pay attention to him. But that happened so much sooner than he had ever expected, and now he was left with nowhere to go. Literally.

And there they stood like statues in an abandoned house of worship, both gripping the water as a means of sanctuary, knowing that it was the only thing holding them together and keeping them apart.

"I know what you're doing," she whispered from behind him.

Sheldon's eyes shifted from side to side, trying desperately to decipher her meaning. But then her finger moved on top of his while they continued to use the bottle as an excuse for their union. The condensation dripped onto their now tandem flesh.

"It's working," she said.


	21. Disorientation

_**Disorientation: a delusion**_

"What now?" Sheldon whispered while they hovered in a trance directed by the bottle of water that had begun to grow warm in the heat of their touch. A thin layer of steam had formed along their fingerprints.

"Well," Amy said while clearing her throat.

Sheldon glanced around the room to see if anyone was watching their incredibly revealing display. They might as well be naked, jumping and dancing, begging for attention. Actually, being naked seemed preferable to Sheldon.

But no one was watching. No one even suspected the line they were about to cross and Sheldon's body reveled in the secrecy.

"I actually asked for a soda," Amy continued.

"What?" Sheldon said breathlessly and glanced back to see her face. They both could feel that the trance had cracked. Their senses slowly slipped back into the skins they'd burst from moments before.

"You…" Amy said and moved even closer to him. "We… are holding a water." She swallowed. "I asked for a soda."

"Oh," Sheldon answered but held strong in his pose.

And a small part of him died when Amy let go of the bottle and reached passed him to get her desired beverage. He stood up, shivering in the breath of the fridge, realizing that her body was no longer touching his.

But as she walked away, he watched her offer a subtle, suggestive nod of her head. And while he still held the bottle of water in his left hand, the condensation had run dry. He twisted the cap and gasped as a single drop escaped and slid onto his finger. He bit his lip and smiled before joining Amy on the couch.

* * *

"Let's watch a movie," Penny said.

"Okay," Leonard said and walked towards the XBOX. "Any requests?"

"In and Out," Raj said as he grabbed a pillow and curled up on the floor.

"You mean the movie about the guy who claimed he wasn't gay and later realized he was?" Howard said.

Raj looked up to see everyone staring at him. "Don't judge me," he said. "Kevin Klein is amazing."

"Why not something funny?" Bernadette said.

"I'm not really in the mood for funny," Penny said. "How about you, Sheldon? You always have a suggestion. Or ten."

Sheldon glanced at Amy and at the bottle resting between his legs. "Something long," he finally said.

"How about Lord of the Rings?" Leonard said quickly and looked around the room. "The first one, of course."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Lord of the Rings it was.

The familiar music sounded while Leonard dimmed the lights. Bernie moved close to Howard, Raj cuddled his pillow, and Penny held Leonard in a hearty liplock once he sat down.

But Sheldon and Amy fought for every single moment's peace. They replayed the memory over and over. Electricity sped through their brains so fast that they could have communicated telepathically had they not been so consumed with the realization that they'd both made their intentions known.

He wanted her and that simple fact left Amy gasping for air. But for the mousey wallflower, air was beginning to be the least of her worries.

* * *

The apartment was dark now. The sun had set and the room had grown warm with the body heat of lovers while Frodo fought with all his might to return the one ring.

But Amy didn't care. She hadn't watched a single second of the movie. Instead, she focused on a lonely spot on the wall, letting her sight dissolve into her other senses, making them stronger so she could better experience Sheldon in the solitude of the dark.

Her ears opened wide to consume the gentle exhale of his breaths. Her chest inhaled the subtle scent of the sweetened white tea that steamed on the end table. And her hands ached to touch him, throbbing in the stillness.

"I think we better get going, Bernie," Howard said while he stretched his arms over his head.

Sheldon's body flinched involuntarily at the distraction as if he'd been doing something forbidden, and that simple act was enough to press the back of his hand against Amy's, igniting in them a helpless, mute, paralytic addiction.

"Wow, I was asleep," she answered before nudging Raj who was pinning her leg to the floor.

"Oh, come on. Can't you guys stay just a little while longer? I'm so comfy," Raj whined.

"Get off," Bernadette said and pushed Raj along the floor.

"Fine. I'll just go home and be alone."

"Would you shut up?" Howard said with a sigh. "We're gonna see you in seven hours."

"Can I at least have a ride home?"

"You didn't drive? How did you even get here?" Howard asked while putting on his jacket.

"I walked."

"You walked?"

"You're gonna make me say it, aren't you? Fine, I'm trying to lose weight. Sue me."

"We'll take you home," Bernadette said and put her hand on Raj's shoulder.

"See you guys tomorrow," Howard said.

"Bye," Leonard answered during a quick break from the make-out session he and Penny had been busy with since the movie began.

"Yeah, bye," Penny said with a wave of her hand before pulling Leonard's lips back to hers.

"Oh, Amy," Bernadette said while digging in her purse. "Here's the comb you lent me earlier."

On the outside it looked as if Amy's had simply refused to acknowledge Bernadette, but on the inside she hadn't even heard a word she'd said.

"Okay?" Bernadette said and set the comb on the edge of the couch. "Well, goodnight."

And they left, debating what was more disturbing: the fact that they could see Leonard's entire tongue lapping against his girlfriend's or the fact that Sheldon and Amy were now the first zombies they'd seen in the flesh.

Probably the former.

The door shut behind them, swallowing the last beam of light from the apartment. Sheldon and Amy looked around the emptying room. Three people had gone. Three sets of eyes were no longer threatening their happiness, and three sets of ears were no longer within distance to hear the pounding of their hearts like tribal drums.

Amy thought that the unexpected sense of freedom would help her to make a move, but it only made things more challenging. She couldn't concentrate on anything but the gentle sounds of Leonard and Penny's lips clashing against one another. The sound was enough to make Amy explode with frustration and desire.

And Sheldon was even closer to their public displays of affection. He could reach out and touch them if need be. His Vulcan hearing was powerless to defend against the lusting suggestions that slipped into his mind.

Amy held perfectly still and absorbed the sensation of Sheldon's hand pressing against the back of her own—and she wanted more.

She gently shifted her hand, facing her moist palm into the air hoping that she'd done it slow enough that Sheldon wouldn't notice. But who was she kidding?

His eyes were already staring at her hand and its mysterious movements. What was she planning? What did she want from him?

Amy looked up to see his face. The images from the TV trickled along his skin and made his eyes impossible to read. But when he finally returned her stare, she could his feel his body stiffen and his breathing increase.

She couldn't help but think that his lips looked delicious in the dark. But her goals with Sheldon were so much simpler than that. She wasn't ready for sex or kissing for that matter. But she did want to touch him, even if it was something as simple as holding his hand. So, why was this proving so difficult?

She'd held a man's hand before, in a romantic and platonic sense. Why was this any different? Why did her body tremble at the thought? Why were her inner thighs so warm?

She continued to stare into Sheldon's eyes, which now seemed to pick up on her trepidation. Without breaking eye contact, he pressed his palm to the leather couch and slid it to the front of the cushion.

Amy glanced at the couch and his subtle invitation before she noticed Penny climb onto Leonard's lap.

Good god, couldn't they get a room, the room that was literally twenty feet away? Or at least reduce their sounds of pleasure to a less disrupting volume? Couldn't they tell that she was doing everything in her power to remain in control of her endocrine system?

Sheldon watched the movie while he waited for her to make her decision. Amy let out a sigh that was laced with so much more than frustration and fatigue—it was laced with a thirst that they both wanted to quench. Sheldon smiled at the sound.

For once in her life, she threw caution to the wind and moved her hand towards his. Her fingertips touched the base of his wrist and cautiously inched further into the den of desire. Her middle finger was first to enter the warm, damp enclosure. It lifted its back from the couch to kiss the inside of his palm. The sweat that had bred itself with the fibers of his skin slipped underneath its lips.

So close.

Sheldon parted his lips and continued to stare breathlessly at the television while her hand pushed further along his. Soon her fingers were under his and there was something incredibly suggestive about their position that made Amy blush for the briefest of moments, but then she remembered just how much she wanted this—wanted him. And as she passed the point of no return, her fingers curled up and clenched his hand in a seductive embrace. Their palms pressed against one another, consummating their first romantic expression.

"Oh, my god," Leonard howled into the darkness, making Amy jump in her seat and retract her hand before anyone could see what had happened.

"We're gonna head to bed, guys," Leonard continued and shuffled off the chair while Penny continued to mall him like a wild animal. "See you tomorrow."

They fumbled down the hallway in chaos before slamming Leonard's door .

The credits had rolled along the TV screen, lighting the room just enough for Sheldon to see Amy's face. He looked at her for a moment and held his hand out in the same spot that he had before—just waiting for her to join him again. But she didn't.

"I can't do this," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I have to go," she said and fled out of the apartment as if it were on fire.

Before Sheldon could even understand what had just happened, she was already down the first flight of stairs.

"Amy, wait!" he called after her as he started to follow.

Her feet pattered down the stairs in determination and he could tell that she was getting away.

"Amy, please stop!" he said as he ran faster.

He reached the final stair in the lobby just in time to see the front door swing close. He was gaining on her. He ripped the door open had and ran down the street towards her car.

She pawed through her purse for her keys when she realized that the car was already unlocked. Without any hesitation she clamped her hand onto the handle only to feel Sheldon grip her arm firmly.

"Don't go. Please, Amy. Don't go."

"I have to," she said and pushed his hand away.

When she opened the door and crawled inside, Sheldon noticed a peculiar pendent hanging from her rear-view mirror containing a picture of Kripke. A small part of him shook with anger but the rest of him felt sorry for her.

"Are you in love with him?" Sheldon asked while she adjusted her seatbelt.

Amy held still to process his words. "I thought I was."

She gently pushed Sheldon away so she could shut her door. The engine boomed in the night and exhaust filled the air.

"Amy," Sheldon said and put his hands on the door, "I've never done anything like this. I don't know how any of this is supposed to happen, and more importantly, I don't know how I'll react when it does."

Amy looked at him. "What are you saying?"

"If you run," he let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know that I'll chase you."

She looked at him one last time before shutting her door and driving down the misty Pasadena avenue.


	22. Ignition

**I published chapter 21 a few days ago and it appears that the notification emails that you all normally receive went directly into the "Junk" email folder, for Gmail at least. If you did not receive said email, make sure to check out Chapter 21 before moving onto this one. And thank you again for all of the support.**

* * *

_**Ignition: the action of setting something on fire or starting to burn**_

"I'm so glad you called me. You looked terrible last night," Bernadette said.

"I know," Amy answered and fidgeted with the silverware on the table.

"What's up? It's not Kripke is it?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I haven't seen him since the night he came to my apartment and Shel…"

"Hmm?" Bernadette said as she sat down and took a big gulp of ice water.

"Nothing. I just haven't seen him."

"Then what's bothering you?"

Amy looked at the menu with a blank expression. "I don't know what to do anymore. I just feel lost."

"That's understandable. Break-ups are always hard, especially for the person who wasn't expecting it."

"I think that's part of the problem. I think I was expecting it. I actually think I wanted it to happen. I wanted a way out and didn't know how to get it."

"Oh," Bernie said and drank more water after walking eleven blocks to the little bistro.

"I don't know," Amy continued and waved a server to their table. "I don't think it's working out for me here."

"You're not gonna quit at the university are you?"

"I haven't decided yet. But I do know that I can't work in the same school with Barry and Shel…"

"Who?"

"No one," Amy said quickly and ordered an iced tea from the server.

"If you do leave, where would you go?"

"Somewhere slower. Somewhere quiet."

Bernadette nodded her head in understanding before scanning the menu for lunch options.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Bernadette said.

"How did you know you were in love with Howard?"

"Oh," Bernadette answered with a slight blush. "I never really thought about that. I think I knew for sure when I could think about every man that I'd been attracted to over the years and none of them moved me the way Howie did, and still does. I guess that's the best kind of sign that anyone can ask for."

"That seems logical," Amy said.

"Oh, please don't start with that logic stuff. Makes you sound like Sheldon," Bernadette said with a smile.

"Would that be such a bad thing? To be like Sheldon?" Amy's stomach fizzed at the change in topic.

"No, not really. Sheldon's a great person. He just comes with a lot of his own kind of baggage."

"I don't know what you mean by that."

"I mean that he has a lot of quirks that stop him from connecting with the outside world. He's terrified of just about everything, especially germs. He's terrified of change. He's brilliant, self-centered and sometimes downright needy, to say the least. But the most challenging thing about him is that he can be cold towards people."

Amy's eyebrows crunched together as she swallowed the information. "But that doesn't sound like the Sheldon I've come to know."

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but maybe you don't know him as well as you think."

* * *

"Hey, Ames," Penny said though the crack in Amy's office door.

"What are you doing here?" Amy said with a bright smile.

"I stopped by to bring Leonard some lunch and I thought I'd pop in and say hi. So, what are you up to today?"

"Nothing fun. Just budget stuff."

"Yuck," Penny said. "That's all Leonard seems to do anymore. Budget budget budget."

"Seibert has been tightening the noose quite a bit lately. I foresee some people losing their jobs in the near future at this rate."

"Oh, my god. That's awful!" Penny said.

"Don't worry. Leonard is fantastic at what he does. He's not going anywhere."

Penny let out a small sigh of relief.

"Speaking of Leonard," Amy said to change the subject, "You two seemed like you were having fun last night."

Penny smiled and looked away. "Well, that's more than I can say for you and Sheldon. You two looked like ghosts. What the hell was that about?"

"Can I ask you something about Sheldon?" Amy asked, completely ignoring the topic.

"The whack-a-doodle? Sure," Penny answered.

"Is he really as difficult as people make him out to be?"

"That depends. Did they use the word impossible?" Penny answered matter-of-factly.

"That bad?"

"Worse probably. He's insane. And he'll try to tell you that his mom had him tested, but it's a load of crap. Why do you ask?" Penny asked and started to play with the stuff on Amy's desk. "You're never gonna have to deal with him."

"That's true," Amy said, knowing that she was lying.

"Unless you want to?" Penny asked in a suggestive tone.

"No no," Amy said without missing a step. "I was just curious."

"Right," Penny said with narrowed eyes.

"From a neurobiological standpoint, of course," Amy added, sensing that Penny wasn't entirely convinced.

"Of course," Penny said with a grin.

* * *

"I'm going to the comic book store," Sheldon said as he grabbed his keys from the bowl beside the front door.

"Alone?" Leonard asked.

"Yes, alone," Sheldon said firmly. "I need to think."

"Okay," Leonard said with his hands in the air. "I wasn't gonnna offer to drive you anyway. Penny is coming over."

"For more obscene and loud arduous activities, no doubt," Sheldon said and rolled his eyes before stepping out the door.

The steps thumped under his feet the same way they had last night and it made him sick to his stomach. Everything he did was wrong. He'd never felt regret like this and it was enough to make him curl up in bed and never wake up.

Even the lights on the wall annoyed him today, shining right in his face, telling all the world that he was a failure. And why the hell did there have to be so many stairs? It had been years—they couldn't fix the elevator? What kind of dump was he living in? No wonder Amy ran the way she did.

When he reached the lobby, the air stunk of events he never wanted to remember and his chest wasn't prepared to breathe in the filth. He coughed to make things easier, but it didn't help.

He put his hand on the glass door, ready to leave this den of misery and move on to a place that had always brought him happiness, even on the darkest of days.

When he turned his head away to look around the room one more time, the door lurched towards him, hitting his hip.

"Amy?" he said in shock when he saw her on the other side of the door.

He pulled the door open to let her inside. Her hair was messy from the wind and she was slightly out of breath.

"What are you doing here?" he said.

"I'm going to ask you one question and one question only, and your answer will tell me whether to stay or go."

Sheldon's throat tightened as he tried to swallow. "Okay," he whispered.

Amy set down her bag and stepped closer him. "Have you been honest with me?"

"About what?" Sheldon said.

"Everything."

"That's a very general term."

"Yes or no," Amy said.

Sheldon looked at her, feeling completely perplexed at her actions. "I can't answer that without knowing all of the parameters," he said.

Amy immediately began to cry and just as Sheldon itched to console her, he heard Leonard and Penny walking down the stairs.

"Here," he said and gently ushered her towards the elevator. He latched his hands to the doors and pulled them apart. The muscles in his back pulsed under his shirt. "Get in," he said.

"I'm not getting in there. It's pitch black and filthy."

"Please, trust me."

Amy exhaled and slowly stepped into the empty, dust-covered elevator. Her eyes drifted shut as Sheldon rushed to close the doors behind them.

The metal on the doors clinked together and the emergency lights filled the cable car—a dull, yellow light that flickered every so often.

"This is insane," Amy said. "I can't stay in here."

"It's perfectly safe. I come here all the time when I need to be alone."

Amy looked around to see that the car did seem to be in fairly good condition and to her surprise, it was spotless. But despite its cleanliness, she still struggled with the urge break free. Knowing that the doors could open and close with minimal effort was her only comfort, minimizing her fears just enough to keep her from running again.

But just when Sheldon finally relaxed and felt that they were alone, he heard Penny's laugh sound from outside the elevator followed by another long-winded, sloppy kiss from Leonard that made him cringe in their new-found yellow sun.

He held his finger to his lips to tell Amy to stay quiet as long as Leonard and Penny were outside. "They'll be gone soon," he whispered. "I promise."

_Oh, bummer, _Penny said. _Alex just cancelled. Now what?_

_ We don't need to go out. We can have all the fun we need right here?_ Leonard answered in a frisky voice.

Amy watched the muscles in Sheldon's jaw flutter.

_Why don't we head back upstairs and you can show me what you have in mind, _Penny said.

Their laughs and kisses dissolved into a faint echo up the stairs, letting Sheldon finally exhale.

"I'm sorry," he said but Amy was still crying.

"You're just like every other guy. You can't even tell when you're lying."

"Excuse me, but I don't recall telling any lies. And I should know. I have an eidetic memory." Sheldon yelped.

"You've lied about everything," Amy sobbed and sat on the floor.

"Everything I've said and done has been true."

"That's not what I've heard. I don't even know who you are."

"And what exactly have you heard?"

Amy leaned her head back against the wall of the elevator. "Just that you're very—odd."

"Odd?"

She shrugged her shoulders in frustration. "That you're stubborn, and particular. And you hate germs and people and birds. And…"

"Yes?" Sheldon said as if there were nothing wrong.

She looked at him with puddles in the corners of her eyes. "So, you did lie?"

"I don't think it constitutes a lie simply because it was unknown to you. A lie would require me to blatantly deny a particular accusation, and I haven't."

"Lying by omission is still a lie."

"As valid as I consider philosophy to be, I still maintain my position," he said sarcastically.

"I'm beginning to see what people mean about you."

Sheldon was no stranger to being misunderstood, but until this very moment, he didn't care.

"Yes, Amy," he sighed and sat in the opposite corner of the elevator. "I've been told that I'm difficult to deal with."

"You don't think you are?"

He rubbed his hands together in thought. "I have my routine. I have my work. They're the only things that matter to me. And until something or someone means more to me than those things, I don't intend on changing."

Amy licked a tear from her lips and turned her head away while she pondered his words. "What would it take for someone to mean more to you than those things?" she asked.

"I don't know the answer to that."

"I see," Amy said.

"However," Sheldon continued. He paused, choosing his words very carefully in his mind before making another sound. "As of the last few weeks I can say this—I've noticed a certain acceptance of change inside myself."

"And?" Amy said and used her jacket sleeve to clean her face.

"And… I think that if a particular change were to present itself, I may find myself willing to accept it," Sheldon said slowly to see if she understood his suggestion.

Amy felt shy all of the sudden and smiled.

The car took on a very unsettling silence, prompting Sheldon to change the subject. "Would you like to play a game, Amy Farrah Fowler?"

Amy laughed at the ridiculousness of his proposal. "Sure."

Sheldon pulled a small notepad and pen from his pocket and began to doodle a bunch of gibberish. "Just give me a minute," he said like a schoolboy.

Amy watched the blue ink swirl over the paper and she cursed herself for feeling that warm sensation between her legs again. But his hands were so perfect—strong, thin and deft.

He continued to scribble along the pad, completely unaware of the feeling bubbling inside his fellow elevator dweller. Amy tried to concentrate on anything else: ice cubes down her back, being bitten by a rattle snake, slamming her thumb in a car door. But nothing was working.

"I want to kiss you," she whispered when she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"What?" Sheldon said and looked up from the notepad with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry. But I can't pretend any more. I want to kiss you, Sheldon."

Sheldon slowly tucked the notepad back into his pocket and inched away. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"What? Why not? You're the one who initiate the hand-holding. And you just said that if change presented itself, you'd accept it."

"I said a particular change."

Amy sunk back into the corner, feeling that even the metal sidewalls had turned their back on her. "You don't want to kiss me, do you?"

Sheldon parted his lips as if he had something important to say but nothing came out except warm, irregular breaths.

Amy waited and moved closer to him. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know how," he whispered.

"You've never been kissed?" Amy said and moved back to give him space.

Sheldon shook his head and stared straight into the crack in the doors. Amy folded her hands in her lap and sighed. "You're lucky," she whispered.

Sheldon knew she was thinking about her kiss with Kripke. The memories of that night replayed in his mind, filling him with guilt and regret all over again. He should have done something. He should have saved her sooner.

"Maybe just one quick kiss won't hurt," he finally said.

Amy smiled without looking at him. "You sure?"

"No," he sighed. "But I'd like to try."

Amy's face became very serious as she leaned onto her palms to bring her face closer to his. She lifted her hand to touch the side of his jaw. The smooth skin of his cheek flowed under her touch like cream.

She looked into his eyes before inching closer with parted lips. His breath spilled onto her face. But all she could see, feel and hear was Barry pushing her against the wall.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I'm ready," she said and pulled away.

"Thank god!" Sheldon cried out.

Amy rushed back to her corner of the elevator, feeling completely stupid. She pulled her jacket close around her to hide, desperately trying to blend in with the wood grain pattern on the elevator wall.

He watched her out of the corner of his eyes. "Why don't we just move on," he said.

"That would be great," Amy answered. "Maybe we could just start with something simple?"

Sheldon looked at her with almost maniacal look of excitement.

"What?" Amy said.

"There is a Matrix marathon playing at the Regal. We could make a day of it."

"Oh," Amy winced. "I don't think so. I don't do science fiction."

Sheldon's face dropped while his eyebrows peaked in disbelief. Everything faded in his vision as if all life support had been taken from him, and he felt as if he were walking a very thin line between life and death.

"I'm sorry," he said while shaking his head slowly. "But this isn't gonna work."

* * *

"Doesn't do science fiction?" Sheldon huffed as he stared at the same old equation on his white board. His career hadn't exactly been blossoming lately, but he blamed that on everyone other than himself. He was a genius, after all. "What kind of a moron doesn't do science fiction?"

He sat behind his desk with nervous, tapping feet and the uncontrollable urge to pop the cap of his marker on and off. He'd accomplished nothing since eight o'clock that morning, and today it was Amy's fault.

But he knew that his distractions were so much more complicated than that. Amy was just the tip of the iceberg. Ice the size of a city was bombarding him under the water's surface—like the softness of her hand when it touched his face and the tempting shape of her lips, the brilliance that oozed from her every word, and the subtle scent of lavender that was set loose when she walked.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

The sound startled Sheldon from his daydream, and good thing it did. He'd never accomplish anything as long as Amy was on his mind. He stood from his chair and praised the interruption.

"Come in," he said with an arrogant sort of bravado. Until the door opened and his chest nearly burst from the explosion of adrenalin. "Amy?"

It was almost as if she were a mirage. Her eyes locked on his in perfect concentration just before her steps began to glide across the carpet towards him. He'd never seen her like this and part of him craved this new, forceful Amy Farrah Fowler. And part of him was scared shitless.

When she finally reached him, she stood close enough to press the front of her body to his.

"What's going on?" Sheldon said quietly, studying her face for any sort of answer, but the answer she gave him was something he'd never expected.

Her hands touched his hips and pushed him towards his desk, forcing him sit on the edge. When his eyes were level with hers, she removed her grip from his hips and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him into a simple, sensual kiss. His body lost all of its strength in her touch, and the red dry-erase marker slipped from his fingers.

When she finally pulled away, she replaced the touch of her lips on his with the blade of her index finger, tracing gently the film of saliva still swimming on his bottom lip. She lifted her eyes to meet his. "You okay?" she whispered.

How could he possibly answer that question? His entire world was just undone? Was he okay? Okay was a word that would never be used to describe this moment.

He looked at her lips and gripped the side of his desk with all his might. Whatever had just happened may have been okay. It may have been spontaneous and overwhelming, but there was one thing that it wasn't—enough.

He parted his lips and licked them softly while Amy watched in a desperate paralysis, trembling helplessly in a dance of his every move. His pushed himself forward and kissed her so softly that she had to grab his knees for balance. Her fingernails nestled themselves into his thigh muscles.

She opened her mouth slightly and, much to Sheldon's surprise, traced his lips with the tip of her tongue, a sensation that left him breathless and alive and—primitive.

He kissed her again, allowing her tongue to pass his lips enter the warmth of his mouth.

"I seem to be interrupting," a voice said from Sheldon's office door which Amy had forgot to shut.

Sheldon jumped in shock at the voice and Amy quickly turned around and wiped her mouth.

"President Seibert?" Sheldon said breathlessly.

"Dr. Cooper," Seibert nodded. "Dr. Fowler."

"President Seibert, this isn't what it looks like," Amy stammered. "We were just…"

"What you were doing or not doing is of little concern to me Dr. Fowler."

"But what about human resources?" Amy asked.

"Human resources will not be notified."

"I don't understand," Amy said. "I'm a department chair."

"That's true, Dr. Fowler. But you and Dr. Cooper are no longer colleagues."

Sheldon and Amy looked at one another in confusion.

"Dr. Cooper is no longer employed by this university," Seibert said and handed Sheldon a folder.


	23. Conclusion

_**Conclusion: the end or finish of an event or process**_

"But how can that be? You have no legitimate grounds for firing him," Amy said quickly.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Fowler," Seibert said. "But this is between me, the board and Dr. Cooper. It's none of your business."

"Excuse me?" Amy said and walked towards Seibert. "I beg to differ. When you barge in here and make an announcement like that, which by the way was rude as well as unethical, you make it my business."

"Dr. Fowler," Seibert said in a condescending tone. "Lovers are on a strict need-to-know basis, and at this point in time, you don't need to know. Stay out of it."

Amy's jaw clenched shut in anger.

"Monday morning," Seibert said over her shoulder to Sheldon. "You meet with the board. Be there."

Sheldon nodded and gripped the folder in his hands.

* * *

Amy's voice echoed in his ears like a megaphone, howling at the injustice of it all. She talked of jealousy and greed—never once considering that she was making matters worse. Sheldon wanted to be left alone; he needed it. He needed to sort through this in his own way and time, but Amy was an inescapable wrecking ball that was determined to take away his free will.

"And furthermore," she chattered away while pacing in his office as he sat helpless behind his desk.

"Amy?" He finally whispered.

"What?" she huffed.

"Can we do this another time?"

"Why?" Amy asked softly, realizing that she may not belong.

"It's nothing. I would rather just do it another time."

"Alright," Amy said. She rested her hand on his shoulder and gave him an awkward squeeze. As much as she wanted a physical relationship with him, it still felt so foreign. There were so many boundaries already mapped by each of them that it was hard to find common ground sometimes. Yes, they'd kissed. But it was premeditated and analyzed. It was attempted again and again until it was finally successful, but _this_ kind of affection, this spontaneous public display was so much more difficult to navigate. It was intimate. It tested her knowledge of his likes and dislikes, needs and wants. It only takes one trapeze artist to slip before the other comes tumbling after.

* * *

Amy sat in her office, typing away at some document, but her mind was miles away. She'd never felt anger like this. It was illogical. But so was the situation. Sheldon was one of the greatest minds the university had ever employed. How could he possibly be fired? Who did Seibert really think he was? Illogical anger was perfectly justified.

She flung her glasses off her face and onto the laptop before rubbing her eyes in frustration. "This can't be happening. This was supposed to be a new start, Fowler."

She opened her desk drawer and pawed through the contents for the Advil bottle when she saw the pendant from her car. Barry's face was still inside like a trophy or an urn, or both. The metal shell was cold, a fitting feeling after all he'd put her though, but when she opened it and saw his smile, something came over her that far surpassed any lovers' quarrel. For once, she saw everything clearly. Who is the only person in this university who would stop at nothing to see Sheldon fired? Her mind began to spin on overdrive.

* * *

The walls of his office were bare. No pictures of family or friends hung near the computer. His degrees were haphazardly shoved into a cardboard box in the corner, and it smelled musty as if he hadn't been there in weeks. The damp cold had already begun to seep through the poorly sealed windows.

Amy stood in the darkened hall, listening to him shuffle behind the office door. She shrieked in anger that she hadn't realized it before.

"You bastard," she said quietly to him as she eased the door open. Everything was quiet when he met her eyes. Both of them watched memories flash in snapshots around the room. The time he danced with her in the corner by the filing cabinet. The love notes she would leave on his white board before work. The simple messages on post-it notes.

Barry's eyes closed in the haze of heartache, hoping to block the thoughts of her holding his hand under the desk while they giggled at Youtube videos during lunch.

"You couldn't just leave things be?" Amy said quietly. "You had to ruin everything for everyone."

His hands adjusted the contents of the box in front of him to better cover the picture of them walking through the redwoods. "I didn't pwan this," he whispered.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Amy asked. She pulled her glasses from her face to wipe the tears. "I loved you." Her lip trembled as her skin chilled in the damp office air. "I believed you."

"That's what I didn't pwan," Barry said and looked into the distance past her. "I didn't know I would faww in wove with you."

"How can you tell the lies you did to someone you claim to love?" Amy asked.

Barry's face tightened and she watched him cry at his own shame. "She's sick, Amy." His voice cracked before he began to cry uncontrollably. "And I can't fix her."

"Who's sick?"

"Jen," he whispered.

"The goddess?"

"Pwease," he said while his chest heaved in despair. "Pwease, don't caww her that."

"I don't understand," Amy said.

"I…" he cried out, "I can't do it anymore. I can't be what she needs. I'm not sure that I ever could." He looked at Amy for the first time. His eyes were red with genuine sorrow. "Jen has pawanoid schizophwenia. She was diagnosed a few yeaws aftew we gwaduated."

"Oh," Amy said quietly. So many questions that she had were suddenly answered.

"She's detewiowated ovew the yeaws. It stawted with wittle things wike heawing people tawking in the other wooms. Some days she couldn't wemembew who she was. But that happens most days now."

"Barry, I…" Amy started.

"The things she towd you were twue, you know," Barry said and continued to pack his box. "I was going to mawwy her. I wanted to spend the west of my wife with her. I've always known, even when we were kids." He fell into his desk chair and covered his face. Amy could hear his sobs. "Now she thinks I'm one of the orderwies at the hospital. Cawws me Bart. Asks me to help her end it aww."

"Oh, my god," Amy said.

"I abandoned her." His hands still cupped his face and the sobs were louder than ever while his chest shook behind the desk. "I couldn't wook at her. I couldn't stop myself fwom fawwing apawt each time I visited her. So…" His voice peaked before fading to a whisper. "I stopped visiting. I wet my work consume me so I wouldn't have to think of her in that woom. And the few times I did go home to see her, I was so angwy at her and myself and whatever god out there who felt it was his wight to take away the one person in this world who made me happy."

He pulled his hands away to breathe. His face was flushed with anger and sweat. "And now when I hear her tawk about the goddess and the powers she has, I fucking hate her. I hate her for taking away my Jen. And I hate evewyone who watched it happen and didn't help her."

Amy walked towards him and pulled him into an honest embrace. His tears left trails on her suede jacket.

"Until I met you, Amy. I met you and I felt happy. Actuawwy happy. And I thought that I could move on—that I could make a new wife. Find a new wove."

Amy pulled away to look at him.

"I do love you, Amy," he whispered. "But I belong with Jen."

Amy couldn't utter a single word. Every emotion she'd ever felt made no sense anymore. She'd won and lost all at once.

"She's dying," he said and walked back to his desk.

"Barry, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. You have nothing to be sowwy about. I bwought you into this mess, and I nevew should have done that. You desewve bettew."

"Let me know if there is anything I can do," Amy said.

"Thewe's nothing, thank you. I think it would be best if we just weft things as they awe. You seem happy."

"I am," Amy said quietly and stepped towards the door. "But I have one question."

Barry looked at her softly.

"If you want me to be happy," she said. "Why did you have Sheldon fired?"

He covered the box with a lid and set it on the floor with the others—a neat little row of breadcrumbs leading to a life destroyed. "You wike him, huh?"

Amy ignored the question. "Why'd you have to pull him down? A better job? A better office?" she said and pointed to the boxes. She wasn't trying to be condemning or judgmental. All she wanted was answers.

"I guess I desewve that," he said and lifted the boxes to bring them to his car. "I don't know why Sheldon was fiwed, but I had nothing to do with it."

He walked passed her and stepped out into the hallway. The office was empty, but Amy's mind was full questions.

"Where is your new office?" Amy asked through the door.

"Don't have one," Barry answered. Amy stepped out into the hall to see his face.

"They took away your office?"

"I quit this aftewnoon. I'm going back to Ohio to be with Jen. Take care, Amy," he said and walked through the exit door at the end of the hall. The outside light poured onto her shoes.

"Take care," she whispered while the door drifted closed.


	24. Promotion

_**Promotion: the act of raising someone to a higher position or rank**_

"It's weird seeing you here on a Saturday morning," Penny said. The washing machines hummed in the background. "What happened to your schedule?"

"Don't have one anymore," Sheldon mumbled and tossed his clothes into the washer farthest from her.

"Very funny," Penny answered. "You must have a pretty good reason for throwing colors in with your whites." Her face dropped for a moment when she processed what she'd just said. "Oh, god. Is this the mental breakdown that Leonard said would happen? You're not gonna blow up the building with some sort of death ray are you?"

Sheldon pressed the button on the dash and watched the water spew onto a rainbow of t-shirts, none of which had been pre-washed or pre-soaked. Bubbles multiplied, slowly clouding his sight and the machine began to pulse as if nothing was wrong. The darks and lights blended into grey—a place Sheldon had never been.

"You gonna be okay?" Penny asked quietly.

Sheldon looked away, his hands still resting on the washer. "That's not up to me to decide anymore."

"Well, what about Amy?" Penny asked.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"It just seems like she makes you happy whenever she's around."

Sheldon's lips flinched, momentarily flashing a smile. "Perhaps you're right," he said with a sigh. "Maybe I could benefit from some old-fashioned human interaction."

"That's the spirit," Penny said and patted him on the back. "I'll let everyone know."

* * *

"I wanted to talk to you," Amy said into the phone. "I feel like things have gotten very awkward very quickly, and I feel that it's all my fault. Everything has happened so fast, and I think I let myself drag you into my drama because—well, because I feel safe with you. But yesterday in your office, I realized that maybe things were only going fast for me. I kissed you and it was too soon. I know that now, and I wanted so desperately to kill Seibert for you, but it's not my place. I don't fit in your world. Not yet anyway, and that's fine. I just need you to know that I'm sorry for all of it. I want you to be comfortable at all times."

Sheldon listened intently to every word, doing his best to swallow the lump in his throat. He had seen her less than 24 hours before, but the lights already seemed to dim in his presence as if life were slipping from his fingertips. "Are you coming over tonight?" he said.

"Penny called me, but I didn't know if I should after everything that happened. I thought you might want some space."

Sheldon's end of the phone went silent when he covered it with his palm. The warm air of his nervous breaths clouded his hand while he waited for any sign of control to find him. He held his breath and removed his hand from the microphone. "Come early," he whispered.

* * *

"I have to run over to Penny's for a minute," Leonard said. "I think everyone should be here any minute."

Sheldon sat on the couch—distant, listless, and pale. The images of the TV screen chattered across his eyes, but behind the lively display, he showed no signs of life.

"Oh hey, Amy," Leonard said when he nearly ran her down after opening the front door. "Sheldon's inside. I'll be right back."

For some reason, Amy felt terribly uncomfortable when Leonard closed the door to Penny's apartment. She waited outside Sheldon's door, debating whether to go in or stay put. She could see his outline sitting on the couch and it made her nervous.

"Hey," she said in the doorway.

"I need to ask you something," Sheldon said and stood from the couch. His hand rubbed the back of his neck.

"Okay," she said as if it were a question.

"Not here," he said and walked down the hall towards his bedroom.

Amy's heart wanted nothing more than to chase after him, to hold him, but her feet were made of concrete, rigid and unforgiving against the hardwood floor. Each step was more difficult than the last until she finally reached his open bedroom door and saw him standing on the other side.

"Please," he said and invited her inside the immaculate ecosystem of his design.

The air never smelled so pure to Amy Farrah Fowler, a cleansing covenant that Mother Nature could never re-create. There was something so calming about the surroundings. The obsessive organization, spotless display, and literary repertoire only fitting of a genius left her feeling hollow and weightless. It was so perfect that she feared that any change in air pressure would simply sweep her away. Never to be heard from again.

"Have a seat," he said and ushered her towards his bed. "I need to ask you something, and it's kind of important."

"I'm listening."

"I asked you here because I need you to keep everything that happened yesterday to yourself."

"You mean the kiss?"

"I mean about me being fired."

"You haven't told anyone?"

Sheldon's shoulders slumped. "No."

"They're going to find out eventually," Amy said.

"Please," he whispered and sat next to her. "Just don't tell them."

"Of course I won't. Is that what you wanted to ask me?"

"It's part of it," he said and looked away.

"What's the rest of it?"

His weight lifted from the bed as he walked to the furthest corner of the room. "I was wondering if you'd accompany me on Monday?"

"To the board meeting?"

"Yes," Sheldon said and turned to meet her eyes. "I would feel better if you were there."

"I will gladly go with you, Sheldon."

Voices began to fill the hall as the others arrived. The smell of pizza sifted under the door as it always did, but something still felt so incongruous. Sheldon fumbled with his book collection in an attempt to appear busy before speaking.

"But since you mentioned it, the kiss…"

Amy leaned forward on the bed, clawing and grasping at any word that might slip from his mouth after that, but he was quiet.

"Yes?"

"On second thought, there's nothing to say about it. Shall we join the others for dinner?" he said and walked towards the door.

"You don't have to be scared with me," Amy said. "Anything you say to me will always be treated with the utmost respect. You never have to hide what you feel."

His hand paused on the doorknob. "Come on. I think you'll really enjoy the movie Leonard and I have picked for tonight. It's got something for everyone."

Amy stood and waited by the door, but Sheldon left his hand on the knob.

"Perhaps we could revisit yesterday's activities," Sheldon said.

"What?"

He opened the door and placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her to the hallway. She only took one step when she felt his touch slip around her waist, pulling her back. Her shoulders touched his chest.

"The kiss," he whispered, but the words were devoured by the sound of Howard's footfalls. Sheldon's hands fell to his sides in preparation for the dwarf to round the corner.

"Hey there, Shelly," Howard said on his way to the bathroom. "Heard you got canned. Sucks to be you!" If the words weren't painful enough, Howard's pathetic little chuckle afterword made Sheldon feel worse than ever. Howard—Howard Joel Wolowitz –was now more accomplished than he. Sheldon never subscribed to the idea of a deity controlling all that happened in the universe, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe there was a god out there, a god who wanted nothing more than to kick him when he was down.

"Shall we join them?" Amy said without fully understanding the pain that Sheldon was masking, how little confidence he had at that very moment. "What's wrong?" she asked when she saw his face flushing.

"I hate this," he whispered.

And with those words, it finally dawned on her what he was going through. She was looking at a man who'd dedicated his entire life to his career, to the pursuit of higher knowledge, and without that fire—it was as if he had died long ago.

"Look at me," she said and touched the side of his face. "You are still the brilliant Sheldon Cooper. You're still the man who I know will one day change history. And you're still the man who makes Howard Wolowitz look like a Neanderthal. Don't lose sight of that."

"Get a room, you two," Howard said when the bathroom door opened. "And I would avoid the bathroom for a while if I were you."

"Howard…" Sheldon said.

"What? No witty comeback, Shelly? Is that 'cause even though I'm just an engineer, I still got you beat?" Howard laughed and disappeared into the living room.

"Come on," Amy said and turned away from Sheldon, leaving him in the darkened hall. "Let's face it together."

Her foot nearly rounded the corner when she felt his hand gently grab the bottom of her shirt. Without turning to look at him, she whispered, "It will be okay. I'm here. I'll always be here."

But his hand gripped tighter, desperately trying to keep from letting go. "Don't."

Amy turned to face him. Her eyes studied the shapeless darkness to make out his face, and when they finally adjusted, she was consumed with the desire to be close to him, to touch him, to kiss him.

"I promise you… Everything will be alright," she said.

She squinted in the dark to see his reaction when she gasped at the warmth of his lips against hers, wrapping her in the softest kiss she'd ever felt.

* * *

The pizza was nearly gone when Sheldon and Amy entered the room. And although she'd done her fair share of adjusting before they emerged, Amy was still self-conscious about the revealing state of her hair.

"Well, if it isn't the lovebirds," Howard said.

"Right," Leonard laughed. "Like that could ever happen. Sheldon's not even human, let alone male."

"Yeah, you're right," Howard said. "He's a bit of an under-achiever in that department. Not to mention others."

Sheldon swept a hand across his hair and smiled. "My dear Howard," he said with a smirk, "of course you would know, being the resident expert and all. There are not enough numbers in our mathematical system to count the number of your misgivings… And shortcomings," he finished with a wink towards Bernadette. "If you know what I mean?"

"Wow," Leonard said. "Looks like someone's got the pep back in his step."

"What can I say?" Sheldon answered. "It's no big thing," he said with another wink toward Howard.

"Ass," Howard mumbled.

"Shall we," Sheldon said to Amy as they took their designated seats on the couch. Neither was interested in food, but nothing sounded so palatable as a crisp, refreshing drink of water. Sheldon guzzled nearly all of his bottle before setting it down on the table.

The movie played, but even though their eyes were open, it was merely a soundtrack to their though. Sheldon and Amy relived the kiss time and time again in their minds. He could feel the sweat on the back of his shirt sticking to the leather couch, when he saw it—the act that would change everything.

Amy's hand reached for the bottle of water on the table, not realizing that it was the same bottle that Sheldon drank from earlier. His stomach jumped as he watched the water dribble past her lips and his eyes darted back and forth to see if anyone had noticed the fuax pas. He debated whther he should cause a scene or simply let it be? It's not as if Amy's saliva was an issue at this point. If he sat still enough, no one would even notice, right? But Penny 's widened eyes and open mouth told a much different story. The jig was up.

"Oh, my god," Penny said and paused the movie. "You two really are together."


End file.
